The full consultation with residents will happen in the Autumn, with residents inside the CPZ being asked if they still support the CPZ and whether they want the rules changed (different hours and different sub-zones within the CPZ). Residents outside will be asked if they want the CPZ extended, and what the hours of the extension should be.

It is proposed that the consultation will extend up to and including Ridge Road.  Roads to the north of Ridge Road would be notified about the consultation, but as there is no strong campaign for a CPZ in those roads the Council do not plan to include them in the formal consultation area.  There will be a simultaneous consultation on extending the Crouch End CPZ which will cover Ferme Park Road and and roads to the west.

Over the next few months the Council will be drawing up the consultation questions and finalising the consultation zones, and will be running focus groups of local residents from different roads to help them with this.  If you want to take part in the focus groups then please get in contact.

The process is very ponderous, and any changes or extensions to the CPZ will not be implemented till 2011.  However, these focus groups should hopefully mean that the consultation works better and that there is less criticism of the consultation process than last time.

This is one of the most distinctive houses in the Stroud Green Conservation Area, and I agree that hiding it behind a high wall would not be right.  So I put in an objection to the Council’s Planning Department – supporting the concerns that have been raised about the wall.

UPDATE:  I’ve now been told that the application has been completely withdrawn and the wall will not be built.   The owners have told me they understand and sympathise with the concerns about the wall and it won’t be included in any new application which they submit.

We had over 50 responses, and the results were:

• 66% think that a lack of bus countdown displays at some stops is a problem.
• 54% say that buses are too full at rush hour
• 54% want better information about big delays on the route
• 36% think that the wait between buses is too long
• 36% are concerned about anti-social behaviour on the bus
• 36% say that elderly residents are not given enough time to board and sit down.
• 22% believe that bus drivers speeding is a problem
• And 20% are fed up with all the road works on the route

As your local councillors, its incredibly useful to know what passengers’ top concerns are – so we can raise these with TfL and the bus companies at every opportunity.   The W3 is a fantastic route and we will fight to improve it further.

These piles of rubbish are not a great advert for shopping in Ferme Park Road and I can understand why people get annoyed.  The root of the problem is Haringey’s contract with the refuse collection company Enterprise, which does not require them to collect refuse at any particular time of the day.  This means that the residents who live above the shops have no fixed time to leave their rubbish out and Enterprise have fixed time to collect it.

The refuse collection contract is being re-tendered this year, so Ihave formally written to Cllr Bevan, the Labour Cabinet Member in charge of rubbish and recycling, asking that the contract be changed so that there are fixed collection times for shopping areas like Ferme Park Road (as there already are now in some areas such as Crouch End Broadway).  This should help solve the problem in the long term.

One even simpler thing that could be done to improve the area is to install some litter bins – as strangely there aren’t any bins by the shops.  I’m pleased to say that last week I got an email from the Council confirming they would urgently put in a litter bin outside Londis.

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.

Having spoken to colleagues in other areas this picture appears to be repeated across the borough.  I’ve emailed the Council’s Chief Executive to demand to know why the main roads weren’t gritted and what the Council is planning to do to clear the roads now.  Obviously the snow was bound to cause problems – but its been forecast for days and is less than 1 inch outside my flat.   So I think this travel chaos could have been reduced with better preparation!

We started the survey because so many residents in the roads outside the existing Finsbury Park and Crouch End CPZs were contacting us to complain about parking (see post on launching the survey).  The key results were:

• 79% of residents believe that parking has got worse this year
• 61% of residents say they are now in favour of a CPZ , 32% are against a CPZ, and 7% stated no preference.
• 38% of residents say they used to be against having a CPZ but are now in favour.
• 58% of residents believe any CPZ should only operate for 2 hours .

These results demonstrate the urgent need for a proper Council consultation looking at the options for tackling parking problems.  We’ve written to the Haringey cabinet member in charge of parking demanding that he now holds this consultation - and a full review of the existing Finsbury Park CPZ.

As well as setting out residents’ views on CPZs, our letter also sets out other suggestions residents have made to reduce parking pressures, such as:

• Allowing residents who live just outside the CPZ boundary to buy permits to park inside.
• Allowing free parking on stretches of road where there are no houses, such as the Oakfield Road bridge or the covered reservoir.
• Providing dedicated van and truck parking (in appropriate places) for local residents who run vital ‘man and a van’ businesses.

The Council must listen to local residents on parking.

I’ve asked the police and the Council’s community safety department to provide an urgent briefing.  Residents want to know whether this incident was gang, drugs or robbery related, so they can get some understanding of why this happened and what the risks are of it re-occuring.  For instance, a resident of Stapleton Hall Road told me she was worried about whether her teenage sons might be at risk – if the stabbing was related to young gangs.

I’ll try to reassure people on nearby streets when I get further information.

We’ve now had several hundred responses from the roads bordering the Crouch End and Finsbury Park CPZs.  The results so far show:

• Three quarters of respondents say parking has got worse in the last 6 months
• 62% say they are now in favour of a CPZ – with many residents saying they have been forced to change their anti-CPZ views
• The vast majority of residents would want a CPZ to be operational for only 2 hours

These figures show that local people in roads such as Mount View, Ferme Park, Stapleton Hall, Granville and Quernmore, think the parking problem is getting even worse and want the Council to take action.  We are using the results to demand that the Council conduct a proper consultation with residents as soon as possible.  But we are also pledging to scrutinise any Council proposals for new parking restrictions, to ensure they are focused on solving the problem – not boosting Council coffers.

We will be closing the survey very soon to present the full results to the Council, so if you haven’t yet had your say please fill it out online as soon as possible (link here).  This parking mess is largely of the Council’s own making – and they need to listen to residents views on how to sort it out.

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.