minutes+8th+July+2003


 * Report of HFRA General Meeting,** **8th July 2003**


 * //__RA Delegates Present__//****//://** Grahame Pearce - **Heron Wharf RA, N17;** Val Paley – **Palace View RA, N8;** John Hajdu - **Muswell** **Hill & Fortis Green Association, N2;** Laurie Owen - **Parkside** **Malvern RA, N8;** Dave Morris - **Tower Gardens Residents Network, N17;** Tim Wilmott - **Bruce Grove Residents Network, N17**; Jane Laporte - **Woodlands Park RA, N15;** Simon Fedida - **Avenue Gardens RA, N22;** Stephen Whittle – **West Green RA, N15;** and Nirjan Culleton [Individual, Bruce Castle area, N17] **//__Apologies:__//** Judith Hannah - **Clyde Area RA, N15;** Paul Burnham - **Partridge Way RA, N22;** Mike Towerzey - **The Sandlings RA, N22**; Frank Forni - **Northumberland Park Independent RA, N17**; David Rennie, Effie Badaliu and Jimmy Athanassiou - **Palace Gates RA, N22;** Corinne Stevens - **Deaconess Ct Tenants Association, N15;** Brenda Pabalola - **Grovelands****, Lemsford and Leabank RA, N15;** Sheila Vassilou - **Alexandra RA, N10;** Purdeep Gill – **Seaford Rd RA, N15**


 * 1. Minutes of HFRA general meeting of 13th June** Agreed to be accurate.

traffic calming, graffiti, anti-social behaviour, estate management and regeneration, housing, development and planning concerns, car parking in front gardens, local parks, community events, relations with council reps etc. A digest of local RA activities will be available at the next HFRA meeting.
 * 8.** **Local reports given or received** Verbal reports led to discussion of some key issues – including


 * 3. Rubbish and waste a. //Recycling//** Following our contribution to the public meeting in May about community recycling, and our previous discussions on this important issue, we decided that it was vital for local RAs and the Federation to do our best to ensure that recycling efforts in new areas are as successful as possible. To avoid some of the problems and controversies that had been experienced by the introduction of wheelie bins it was agreed we should contact the Council to get information about their action plan for borough-wide kerbside recycling and drop sites. We could then comment and contribute at an early stage. Stephen, as the HFRA rubbish and waste rep, will contact the LBH Waste Management dept. //__Action:__ Stephen//


 * //b. Wheelie Bins//** **- leaflets** The area-by-area delivery of the new LBH door-to-door wheelie-bin leaflets was at last happening. Collection methods seemed to be improving. It was unclear whether the promised monitoring of the scheme was happening effectively.


 * 4. Planning issues //a. Heartlands//** This is the proposed new development to the west of Wood Green, near the gasometer. First draft plans (policies, not details) were to be unveiled at the central library in July. Council want to get the development into their UDP (see below). But there are important concerns for local RAs, including proposals for 1000 new homes but no new school.


 * //b. Council’s ‘Unitary Development Plan’//** The revised draft LBH ‘Unitary Development Plan’ sets the council’s planning policies for the coming years - consultation is now in progress. One of the controversies is the Council’s proposal to increase housing density from the current max. 350 habitable rooms per hectare – the limit proposed by the Greater London Authority is 700, in order to cram another 19,000 homes into Haringey! There’s arguments over how much additional housing should be affordable and ‘social’ housing. Other issues include conservation policies, green areas etc.


 * //c. General//** Other general planning concerns include the unlawful erection and use of commercial billboards throughout the borough, and how to oppose anti-social business activities (often without planning permission) in residential neighbourhoods.

It is vital to stand up for the interests and needs of our local communities – there are currently many local housing and economic developments being opposed, some successfully. RAs can and should make a fuss! The draft UDP can be viewed in libraries and on the LBH website: //[|www.haringey.gov.uk]//

Many local RAs are unaware of how the system works, what their rights are, and how to promote and defend their local community from anti-social and inappropriate development. Hence it was decided to organise an educational delegation to a Planning Dept scrutiny committee meeting, and maybe an HFRA Planning Issues Open Day in the new year. Also we could do leaflets on how to oppose a planning application, and circulate details of successful local campaigns. Graham (Heron Wharf RA) and Simon (HFRA Planning Rep) hope to get together to discuss this further. RAs involved in such issues are invited to come and raise their concerns at the next HFRA meeting. //__Action:__ Graham and Simon; local RAs; next HFRA meeting//

//__Action:__// //Working Group & RAs//
 * 5. Traffic calming/safer streets** The HFRA has convened a Working Group (open to all) to organise the Residents’ Conference on Traffic Calming and Safer Streets throughout the borough. It was due to meet in August. //__Update:__// The working group met on August 23rd. The conference has been rescheduled for Sat Nov 15th (to avoid half-term). The Sandbunker has been confirmed as the venue. Many local RAs have agreed to join the working group to help plan or publicise the event. Already, the event is being backed by the LBH Street Scene Dept, Haringey Agenda 21, and Haringey Cycling Campaign – and has been publicised by the Scarman Trust (who’ve also given us a £500 grant for it). Next planning meeting – 27th Sept, 10.30am – noon at 42 Falmer Rd, N15. All welcome. Please read the enclosed flyer and fill in the form if you support the conference. More details at the next HFRA meeting.

//__Action:__ Can anyone can donate us a large map of Haringey?//
 * __6. FEDERATION MATTERS__** **//a. Networking//** We are encouraging links between RAs and other local voluntary organisations like Friends of Parks groups, community groups and centres, trade union branches etc. To that end we are beginning to make good contacts with Haringey-wide bodies like the Friends of Parks Forum, HAVCO, HTUC and so on. However, many local RAs are not yet in contact with other neighbouring RAs. The Federation can help facilitate such local communication and cooperation among RAs. We agreed to discuss this at our next meeting.

//__Action:__// //All RAs are urged to make complaints about this discrimination.//
 * //b. Censorship//** **//and interference//** **//i//****//.//** As previously noted, the Council’s ‘independent’ door-to-door paper Haringey People had refused to put HFRA details in their ‘What’s On’ section for a number of months. This, we were told, was on the say-so of the LBH Residents Participation Team. After much controversy and complaints of censorship, and the intervention of the Leader of the Council, we had been promised it would go in the May edition. It finally made it into the June edition, but not the text as sent - just phone contact details (unlike every other entry). This unacceptable and childish nonsense was repeated in June and July. Bruce Grove Residents Network details have been in the What’s On each month – they wrote to the paper requesting that the full HFRA entry be substituted for theirs as it was a vital contact for all RAs. Their entry was removed!


 * //ii.//** On 19th June the Residents Participation Team phoned up the Partridge Way Residents Association (a predominately tenants’ group who have a council grant) to tell them that they could not affiliate and make a donation to the Federation at their forthcoming AGM. The PWRA made a strong written complaint about this, and on 15th July Stephen Clarke (Director of Housing) apologised for the ‘mistake’ made, recognised the right of tenants’ groups to affiliate to the HFRA, and assured the PWRA the RPT is not trying to undermine or marginalise the HFRA. We have just received £15 from the PWRA as affiliation for the coming year (thanks!).


 * //c. HFRA contact details//** Please note the Secretary’s new phone details – 0208 211 0916.


 * //d. Stalls//** The HFRA Secretary ran info stalls at the Tottenham Festival (21st June), the Lordship Rec Festival (June 22nd) and Downhills Pk Festival (July 13th) encouraging people to join their local RAs.

//__Action:__ If your local RA would like to join the list, please send us an email contact.//
 * //e//****//. e-list//** An internal HFRA email list has been set up for RAs to share news and information. It was agreed that Jane Laporte (HFRA Vice Chair) would manage it.


 * //f. HFRA//** **//Finances//** It was felt that we may be successful in applying for grants to fund an office, or for research projects (eg. into ‘best practice’ by local RAs who have succeded in involving and empowering their local communities in various ways). We have successfully obtained a grant of £500 from the Scarman Trust for the traffic calming conference - however we still desperately need a regular source of basic income. We are asking all RAs, if they’ve not yet sent in a sub/donation/affliation to the HFRA, to please send us what they can. //__Action:__ HFRA Secretary and Treasurer, and local RAs//