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.

Haringey seems to specialise in old ugly broken railings – and there are a number in Stroud Green Ward that residents regularly complain to me about.  Some, like this battered one (pictured) on Mount Pleasant Crescent by the Larrik pub, are not only ugly and broken, but are completely without purpose and should just be removed.  There is no reason to have a railing to stop people walking out onto a quiet cobbled side street.

The adjacent railings facing on to the busy Stroud Green Road / Crouch Hill junction probably are serving a purpose.  What’s interesting is you can tell which side of this junction is in Islington and which is in Haringey by the quality of the railing:  Islington have nice new black ones – Haringey old grey broken ones.

I’m trying to get eyesore ones like this removed or replaced, but there doesn’t appear to be any budget at Haringey Council for this.  I’ve emailed council officers this picture, arguing they have to take action as the railings are broken – we’ll have to see if that makes them change their mind.

But, I’d welcome suggestions for other metal eyesores to add to my list.  Where are Stroud Green’s ugliest railings?

The Council have agreed to ask a property developer to pay for repairs on a pavement that was left in a terrible state after new homes were built.  The wrecked pavement is on Mount Pleasant Crescent near the junction with Stroud Green Road and Crouch Hill (by the Larrik pub).

The houses were built a few years ago – but a local resident contacted me to complain that the Council apparently hadn’t made the builders clear up after themselves.  As the picture shows, the pavement is virtually non-existent and urgently needs rebuilding.

I contacted the Council, who initially said that nothing could be done.  But after a couple of emails and an investigation by a highways engineer, they changed their mind have agreed the developer should be presented with a repair bill.  I hope that this works, and the pavements can be rebuilt quickly.

Another resident has contacted me about the ugly old railings on this road junction – so I have another battle with the Council ahead.