Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Why ????

 

Tags for Forum Posts: greening harringay, street trees, trees

Views: 309

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

No, steady on, this shouldn't be about calling one person's contribution propaganda, and I don't think Stephen has ever suggested that Berlin doesn't have its problems, indeed he mentions the high levels of graffiti and if my memory serves me correctly, there's something about kids setting fire to buses regularly?

Anyway, no big city will be without its vandals, litter louts etc. What we are interested in here is how other places tackle the problems and whether we can learn from them.

All cameras can do is reflect the preoccupations of those behind them at the time and anyone can make a place seem more or less ugly by how they wield it.

Depending on where you look on my Flickr page, Harringay is a lovely Victorian area with fine buildings and a rich history or it is an area plagued by dumping, litter and louts of all forms.

There are things that could and should be done along European models such as banning plastic bags as in France (or taxing them as in Ireland) and bringing back deposits on glass and aluminium. There isn't the political will nationally to do many of these things. No one is suggesting that one country has ALL the answers just maybe some of them.
Matt if my comments rile you, I'd suggest you don't read them - just like I don't read your bumf ..
This is sad. It needs to be put back properly. Those stakes need to be hammered further into the ground to make it more difficult to vandalise. The tarmac needs to be stripped back to allow breathing space and as you say Stephen a piece pf pipe needs to be added next to the tree and going down to root level so that it can establish those roots.
Do you have a garden John D? If so as a temporary measure could you 'heel it in' that is to dig a bit of a hole and stick it in for the short term and throw a bucket of water on it to keep it going until the council can plant it properly.
This thread is yet another graphic illustration of the value of community and social media websites and HoL in particular.

Just maybe, in the new Council, there will be a few more councillors encouraging fearful colleagues and reluctant senior officers to emerge nervously into the twenty-first century, and use these interactive communication tools.


(Labour councillor and candidate Tottenham Hale.)
If I may, this looks more like a case of bad parking than deliberate vandalism. When I lived on Weston Park, I saw a van do that reversing into the tree, and the driver was completely unaware as it was in his blind spot.

On reflection, lucky it was a trree and not a kid
Typical - blame drivers :-)
It fell in the direction of traffic so very unlikely to be reverse parking.
This is not a street where you park on the pavement.
i once saw a youngish tree that had been knocked over near to my road, still complete with roots. At about ten feet tall it was possible to pick it up and bring home. I stuck it in a bucket of water and sent an email to someone somewhere in LBH, recommending that they did not try to replant where it had been as it was on a corner near the tube where the overnight tube maintenace workers park their vans half on the pavement. Left the tree in my front yard and they came and collected it the next day and sent a nice thank-you email.

There is at least one good person in LBH dealing with trees, I've had some good exchanges with them that were not cut-and-paste, on various issues.
I would like to see more trees planted on the streets with the aim of having tree lined streets like Burgoyne Rd. Is there a policy in place to make this happen?

Also, it would be great if more residents would plant hedges in front of their houses and possibly between house entrances. They looks so much better than ugly walls. Could we start a campaign to buy cheap hedge cuttings for residents?
With you 100% on this Dermot.

I think with trees, most people expect planting to be paid for and undertaken by the Council. There has been some very limited planting done over the past few years. The limitations are financial. Now, all councils are facing a period of severe financial difficulty. So we shouldn't be looking towards the Council for much tree plating over the next few years.

One possibility is oddly similar to the suggestion you make for hedge planting. Citizens doing it for themselves. Resident-financed tree planting was done locally, in Hewitt Road, some years ago. The residents in the bottom half of the road clubbed together and had silver birch planted. A shame the top half of the road couldn't have been involved too, (perhaps we were asked and I was away, I don't know), but a great example of citizens doing it for themselves. I'm not sure, but the Council may have made a financial contribution. They certainly organised it all.

According to Adam, the Council will help you out for £170 per tree.

So, there's an option.

I'm with you on the hedge issue too. I'm walled in by hedge on all sides. As to supporting a greening of our streets in this way - also on your side. Some houses would be relatively easy to deal with - where the front gardens have not been paved over.

In those cases planting could be quite easy. (In fact myself and another neighbour have been helping a chap between us green his front garden borders front and sides by adding easy-to-maintain platings). I think the easy-to-maintain bit is key. Many folk don't want to be a'choppin' privet all summer long.

I think many front gardens have been concreted over and they present a whole other issue. Any suggestions anyone?

The forthcoming Harringay Charter has a key theme around Greening Harringay. So it's a great time to be thinking ideas.

There are groupings of other posts about trees, hedges and concreted gardens here and here.
I hope, Pamish, that other people follow your example. And as a Haringey councillor, I'm pleased you got a personal thank-you.

I'd also suggest that HoL members may like to return the compliment when we get really good service from staff on the Council (or elsewhere). An appreciative call or email is part of a 'virtuous circle' - inviting the best from people.

(Labour councillor & candidate Tottenham Hale ward)
This has nudged me to write that thank-you email to whoever sanctioned the planting of SEVEN new trees in my road (in Page Green, south of the tottenham one-way) and just around the corner. They are now all coming into leaf for the first time and it's just joyful. I had written before to that LBH tree person when one of our street cherry trees died - it was taken out and maybe that triggered the choice of this road for this investment. A brave move when money is short. My only regret is that earlier I had volunteered to pay for a birch tree outside my house as a present to myself, but now have (I think, it's early days) a cherry instead. But I saved that £170.

I hope there are some longer-lived and bigger trees being planted where it's safe - the new street trees are hawthorn, cherry, birch or rowan, all of which have about thirty year lives. Are there new planes and oaks starting up, not just in the parks? Thanks to our victorian forebears for eg the run of huge planes along the high road here - that's visionary.
A few years back I took this shot of trees along the High Road near Page Green.
How about some more Pamish? Posted on Flickr, please.

And I hope there'll be some cameras out for blossom, as well.
Gordon Joly posted some urban blooms from East London.
And an ex-resident took this in Tottenham.

As you say, just joyful.


(Labour councillor & candidate Tottenham Hale ward. And occasional photographer of parks, trees, & flowerbeds.)

RSS

Advertising

© 2024   Created by Hugh.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service