Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Tottenham Community Organisations mobilise against Council 'Plan for Tottenham'
Council Leader Claire Kober and Cllr Alan Strickland launching
the Tottenham Plan last August
A coalition of residents' groups, and local arts and environmental organisations are organising to resist the Council's "top down" Plan for Tottenham.
A coalition of local community groups is organising a community led response to what they describe as "the Council's pro-development top-down ‘Plan for Tottenham’". At a meeting in January led by McLibel veteran Dave Morris, the coalition formalised plans to bring together the key local community groups to "fight for common interests, neighbourhoods, community facilities and for the needs of communities throughout Tottenham".
A group spokesperson said that its aim is to "oppose all inappropriate planning and developments and campaign to defend facilities and proposals which are led by local residents, for our benefit, and which improve neighbourhoods for our communities – not just for the benefit of big business." The group are currently working on an ‘Our Tottenham’ Charter which will outline their aims and plans.
Amongst of the issues that concern the group are the loss of community buildings and open ground that is being sold or privatised as well as top down building development that ignores community voices.
As a next step, the coalition has planned a meeting on 6th April to involve a wider groups of locals. A group spokesperson said, "We hope that what comes out of the conference will offer a clear and viable alternative to the plans of the Council and property developers".
The full agenda for the meeting is provided on the group's website.
Conference:
10:00 - 16:00, Saturday 6th April
North London House, 22 Moorefiled Road, N17 6PY
Links:
Page on Council website on Tottenham Plan (The link to the plan itself not functioning at the time of writing)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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It's welcome that somebody is organising to oppose this plan. Or at least thinking about it sceptically.
But I hope the "Charter" - and the critique offered - turns out to be a little more nuanced than simply condemning top-down development, plus opposing the Grainger plan for Wards Corner.
My own harsh criticism of Kober's Tottenham Plan has been consistently and - I hope - thoughtfully argued. But I also welcome or at least see advantages in some of the "top-down" actions taken.
For example, relocation of the burned-out Post Office was urgently needed. And the new Post Office was laid out and maintained in a way which responded to sharp criticisms from users locally. (Haringey staff and, I think, Kay Horne from Business in the Community deserve praise on this. As does the franchisee who listened to and responded to critical comments.)
Not everyone may like the design of the new Aldi supermarket, but local residents I've talked to are pleased it's been rebuilt. (With the design improved by intervention from Haringey Planning staff.) Similarly, I've heard mainly positive views about the decision - in effect - to rebuild the Carpet Right building.
But I'm dismayed that Campaigners are supporting Lord Morrison Hall as a community building. I live a few minutes walk away, and its nothing of the kind.
One serious concern must be the way Tottenham Hotspurs has been allowed - perhaps encouraged - to take the lead in setting the development framework for the wider area around the planned new Stadium. I've strongly argued that the Council has a primary responsibility to protect the interests of local residents - in particular those living on the Council estate to the west of the Stadium site.
To his credit, Cllr Alan Strickland - "cabinet" councillor for Regeneration - understood and agreed. He accepted my suggestion that the Council must fund an independent Tenant and Leaseholder Advocate organisation to give residents independent professional advice. And that this must happen well before the Masterplan is drawn up and put to the Planning Committee.
For any campaign to succeed it needs to tackle head-on the recommendations in the Report by Stuart Lipton - Boris Johnson's so-called "champion" for Tottenham. That is certainly Tottenham conceived as a property developer's dream opportunity.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
P.S. Hugh, here's a link for A Plan for Tottenham. It was working when I tried it this afternoon. Another link to the report: It Took Another Riot by Stuart Lipton.
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Permalink Reply by Seema Chandwani on
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Hi Alan,
The problem with Tottenham right now is the council in reality haven't actually done anything... Its been 18 months since the riots and its just been launches and relaunches of reports or glossy timeshare brochures as I call them.
The post office relocation into the old Youth Offending Service building was not complicated, it was a vacant council office that they planned and did vacate before the riots (like 639 High Rd) in a mass exodus to abandon Tottenham.
Aldi again, probably as much to do with Aldi than it did the council. But thats it....
I appreciate these thing are complex, but as a Tottenham resident I haven't got a clue what is happening, there is hardly anything communicated in the local papers; there are no real open public meetings and you really need to search for the documents on the mindfield known as the council website & even then the documents are not user friendly.
I dont think we need "an independent Tenant and Leaseholder Advocate organisation", we have like 10+ riot "quangoes" in this borough. If a Cllrs role isnt to advocate for tennants, leaseholders or residents... Ive missed the point.
I dont welcome this meeting, I think its a shame that a 'coalition of residents groups' needed to come together to address the council led regeneration and I wish it didn't need to happen. Sadly, the council are viewing anyone who is concerned or is questioning the regeneration as obstacles or as Gove once said "enermies of promise" - This is no way to view people who you are elected to serve.
I also don't welcome the Lipton report... even though the council did welcome it on my behalf in a PR spin press release before anyone in the borough got to read it! The Lipton report is dangerous, it calls for regeneration to be removed from council hands and although many are unhappy with council delivery so far... I rather it was in the hands of a locally democratically elected council than a Tory Mayor who will devolve power of our area and give a property developer "freedom of our town".
This is not Liverpool. This is not the 1980s and Lipton will not be Tottenham's Heseltine.
As a resident our options are a Labour led regeneration which is not involving residents or a Tory led regeneration which will not involve residents - Something has to change, the Tories are taking advantage of this "divide and rule" and Labour needs to regain control of this regeneration by remembering who the hell the beneficiaries should be and that is the residents of Tottenham.
If I was Cllr Strickland... I'd contact Dave Morris and offer to do a Q&A at this conference - But hey what do I know, Im just from Tottenham!!
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Permalink Reply by Colinloves on
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I think everyone suffers from the same problems as you, in terms of trying to find out what if going on in the area. If anything is posted in the paper, its always after the fact.
I welcome the meeting. The council, clearly dont rep its people. So we have to do it ourselfs.
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There are several very serious problems, Colin. The absence of properly resourced local journalism is one of them. Another is a severely diseased local political culture of secrecy; together with the constant use of marketing, PR, "narrative" and spin.
But it's also an obstacle to finding things out when people prefer not to. Sometimes this appears as lack of curiosity. The sociologist Les Back suggests we have a culture where we talk at one another and clamour to be heard. He praises the Art of Listening and wants us to listen more carefully and empathetically.
Sometimes our discussions suffer "confirmation bias" - an inability, or perhaps refusal, to see and consider evidence which might contradict entrenched views. For example, both the Council and its critics can sometimes be right or partially right.
Polarisation of views is worse when people stay in opinion "echo chambers" with like-minded others who agree with them. Often criticising the motivation and not the substance of their opponents' arguments and views.
Though of course, personal motivation is often a factor. Parroting a party line - whether or not you believe in it - may be necessary to please the powerful and gain favours, preference or promotion. Especially when you're in a place - like Haringey - which runs a Big Man/Woman system, you're expected to publicly praise the Dear Leader's invisible new clothes.
If anyone wants to find out what's going on, we need to dig carefully. Especially investigating behind the curtains where varieties of mighty Oz and their chums hide decision-making.
What we find out can be shared far more easily with internet tools. Though we also need to avoid the danger of press releasing and marketing "our" PR and spin to replace "theirs". (That includes the spin of political, religious and special interest groups.) Instead we can try to present things dispassionately and with respect for evidence.
The urgency of this task increases as rumours mount about external bodies coming into existence and into the area. For example, the news that Arups' are busy concocting "Masterplans" to determine what happens to our homes and neighbourhoods. All of this, of course, with as little transparency and involvement as possible with the people who live here. After all, what could we possibly know?
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Just to clarify, Seema, in response to your comment on 25 March. "An independent Tenant and Leaseholder Advocate organisation" is not a new quango. It's an attempt to provide - for a limited time - independent professional advice to the Love Lane residents who have - as far as I know until now - been "advised" by Homes for Haringey staff and people at the meetings they've attended in the Spurs ground. In other words however well-intentioned, people who are interested parties.
It's a bit like you were renting a flat but hoping to buy. And getting advice from your landlord and lawyers and surveyors hired by your landlord.
Meanwhile, Arup and others have been commissioned to draw up a "Masterplan" which will set the parameters. So if you lived there and came with your neighbours to the Planning Committee to object you'd probably be told: "Sorry. It's in the Masterplan". They might even tell you it's been on display in your local Planning Department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your earth years.
BTW. Of course councillors are supposed to advocate for residents. And some do. But few if any have the requisite legal and planning skills to deal with a development of this size and complexity. Again, think: Vogon Constructor Fleet.
The basic problem is that councillors - from the Dear Supreme Leader downwards - have come to believe in the magic power of Spurs to regenerate Tottenham. Just as they had a touching faith in Hale "Village" to kickstart this regeneration. With Spurs this may or may not have a few grains of truth. But currently the only complete certainty is that it will regenerate the bank accounts of the consultants hired to write these plans.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Website now established at http://ourtottenham.wordpress.com
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Council says community is at the heart of regeneration
This is Local London
Haringey Borough Council says it has ensured the community is at the heart of Tottenham's regeneration. The response comes after more than 100 people joined ...Tottenham residents come together to launch community regeneration ...
Tottenham & Wood Green Journal
More than 100 people from a host of residents and traders' groups came together to build support for community-led regeneration of Tottenham on Saturday.Regeneration scheme gets funding boost
Haringey Today
A SCHEME to restore some of Tottenham's historic buildings to their former glory ... to plans that have the potential to both regenerate and reinvigorate.
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Sorry, Pam. You've lost me. And the conclusion to be drawn is . . . ?
By the way, where would you place the boundaries of Tottenham? I ask because it appears that Spurs think it's around their stadium; while the planners have a vague idea it might be near the High Road.
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P.S. "Restore buildings to their former glory". Obviously the Press Office does need human beings working there. The A.I. computer cliché program they use fails the Turing test once again.
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