Richard Wilson

Since I started highlighting the lack of grit bins in Stroud Green, I’ve had a dozen requests from local residents to get a bin installed in their road.  In fact, residents of Woodstock Road and Denton Road pointed out that their roads used to have a grit bin but the Council took it away a few years ago.

As a result I’ve sent in a request to the new Cabinet Member for the Environment Cllr John Bevan, asking for grit bins to be installed in the following six roads:

• Albany Road
• Oakfield Road (between Stapleton Hall Road and Ridge Road)
• Denton Road
• Uplands Road
• Woodstock Road (near Stroud Green Primary School)
• Mount Pleasant Crescent

At this week’s Full Council meeting I had planned to raise the lack of grit bins and a number of other ways I thought Haringey could improve its preparedness for snow and ice.  Cllr Lyn Weber and I had put down a motion calling for the Council to hold a formal review to find out resident’s experiences and learn lessons.

However, in one of the most childish displays I have ever seen from a grown adult, Council Leader Claire Kober deliberately talked nonsense for half an hour to stop our motion being reached.   Its shocking that the Leader of a Council that is rated the worst in London thinks this is an acceptable way to behave, and presumably doesn’t think the Council has anything to learn from residents’ experiences of the recent snow and ice.

Today I did a walkabout with Stroud Green’s new ’street enforcement officer’, which was originally planned for earlier in the month, but delayed due to the snow.  It was a great opportunity to find out what progress he has already made and to point out some of the many problem issues that residents have raised with me over the last few years.

The officer had already sorted out one issue I’d raised with him, which was the builders at a house on Mount View Road who had spread all over the pavement, forcing pedestrians out into the road.  Enforcement action was taken a few days ago, and when we visited today the site was immaculate.

One favourite issue of mine which I also raised was the very many phone cabinets with missing doors in the ward.  I showed him a cabinet in Denton Road that I’d alerted the Council to in August (see summery picture) - but which still isn’t fixed.  The enforcement officer agreed to take action with Virgin Media – who appear to be the villain in not maintaining their street furniture very well.

One area we spent alot of time talking about was the Ferme Park Road shops, where residents and shopkeepers are unhappy about rubbish bags sitting around in big piles waiting to be collected by the Council’s binmen Enterprise.  This will be a tricky issue to solve due to the contract with Enterprise which apparently allows them to collect the rubbish whenever they like rather than at set times.

Haringey Lib Dems have long campaigned for officers to be based out in the wards, so they really get to understand and take responsibility for their patch.  From what I saw and heard on this walkabout, this strategy should work with this new local officer.

I was out and about in the ward at the weekend and was really pleased to see that the grit bins that I had complained about (see previous post) had been filled, and that some residents had made use of the grit on their pavements and front paths.  I’ve also sent people who live near the grit bins on Mayfield and Inderwick Road a letter with the number to call to get the Council to refill the bin next time its empty.

However, it struck me how few of the hill roads in Stroud Green have a grit bin at all.  I couldn’t see one at all on Uplands, Denton, Albany or Oakfield Roads, and these are all quite steep and difficult when its icy.   So please contact me if you think your road needs a grit bin, and you and your neighbours would make use of it.  The Council’s website says that “suggestions for new sites are welcome”, so in theory this shouldn’t be difficult to sort out.

I also think the Council should do more to make residents aware of grit bins.  I suspect many people don’t know what the yellow boxes are for or are not sure if the public are supposed to make use of them (which they are).  Recently a Stroud Green resident emailed me a link to this website that promotes the use of ‘disused’ grit bins for community recycling.  Most of the ‘disused’ bins are in Haringey – so it seems some enterprising residents are using the bins for other purposes (probably because the Council doesn’t actually put grit in them very often).

Ever since I saw the notices on the condemned trees at the bottom of Denton Road (see previous post), I’ve been pressing the Council about what is happening and why.   These are beautiful mature Acacia trees and it would be a shame to lose so many of them at once.

The Council have assured me that the trees will be replaced with new trees in similar locations – 4 planted this winter and 4 next winter.  I’ve asked if any can be saved – but they seem pretty determined to remove them all because of the pavement damage.

However, I’m still very keen to get resident’s views on whether these trees should be removed, and where any replacements should be sited.  At my request, the council officers responsible have agreed to hold a site visit to show residents what is proposed and listen to any concerns.  Please do contact me if you want to take attend – or have a comment.

I was suprised to discover that many of the street trees in Denton Road have been condemned by Haringey Council - as they are apparently damaging the pavements.  The Council hadn’t informed me that this was happening – and I wonder if there was any consultation with residents?

Its obvious that this wasn’t a good tree species to plant on a road:  The pavement by some of the trees has been badly damaged by the roots.  However, the pavement by other trees seems unharmed and I can’t help thinking a less drastic solution is possible.  Perhaps the craggy damaged pavements could be re-tarmaced into a gentle humps over the roots?

I’ve fired off an urgent email to the Council – asking if some of the trees could be saved with some simple action to improve the pavements.  I’ve also asked what will be done to replace any trees that are cut down.  For a street to lose so many of its trees at once would be a great shame - it would make the whole road look much more urban and less green.

I’ve recently been reporting a number of telephone exchange cupboards with missing doors (see picture).   Not only are they pretty ugly without the doors but it leaves all the wires exposed and presumably vulnerable to damage.

This prompts the question as to why do the doors go missing in the first place?  One suggestion is that people could be stealing the doors to sell as scrap metal.  This seems ridiculous – but you do read about high metal prices causing these kinds of thefts.

This box on Ossian Road near Ferme Park Road was fixed a few days ago after I reported it to Haringey Council.  I’ve also reported another one in Denton Road.  If you spot any please contact me and I’ll try to get them sorted.  Also- please contact me if you have a better explanation as to why they go missing.

Earlier today I went to Stationers Park to meet with the Council’s Head of Parks to discuss what can been done about security following the recent vandalism (see previous post).  As a result its been agreed that the Parks department will convene a meeting between the police, local residents and parks officers to try look at ways of ensuring residents get a better response when there are problems in the park.

I hope this meeting will help local residents on Mayfield Road and Denton Road get action and commitments out of the Council and Police.  However, its clear from talking to the Head of Parks that the new ‘parkforce’ service is not 24 hours – so will not be able to guarantee any response to problems late at night.

I wish the Council’s Labour Cabinet had listened to our warnings that this was going to be a problem when they decided to cut the Parks Police.   The Parks Police weren’t perfect but the concept of a 24 hour service was a good one.