Richard Wilson

Yesterday, we presented Haringey Council will the final results of the Stroud Green Parking Survey.  We got a huge response with over 300 surveys completed either on the doorstep or online.

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.

Stroud Green has finally caught up with other parts of Haringey and is now forming a Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC) to try to prevent inappropriate development in the area (see picture).  A CAAC  is formed and run by local residents, with Council support, and would have a formal role in advising the Council on planning issues in the conservation area.  There is information on the Council website – link here.

The Stroud Green Conservation Area stretches from Mount View Road in the north to Stroud Green Road in the south.  A map of the conservation areas on the Haringey website can be found here.

Local residents are trying to organise a first meeting with planning officers to discuss how the committee would work in mid December.  If you care about your local area and would like to take part in this excellent initiative then please get in touch and I’ll pass on your details.

A number of residents have expressed their concern to me about the recent late night stabbing by the junction of Stapleton Hall Road and Lancaster Road.  The victim was attacked at around 4am on Friday 13th according to reports in local papers, and was seriously injured.  No wonder people are concerned when you see the stark headlines outside the Ferme Park Road newsagent - which is facing the scene of the attack (pictured).

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.

Haringey Council have received a planning application to convert and extend the building on the corner of Quernmore and Stapleton Hall Roads opposite the Library (see picture).  The owners propose to convert the shop and residence above into 5 flats.  The building (38 Quermore Road) would be extended out sideways into the paved vacant area in the picture.

The site is a complete eyesore at present, so its brilliant that someone wants to invest some money in improving the building.   However, at the recent Stroud Green Residents Association (SGRA) meeting people were keen to ensure the development fits in with the nearby Victorian buildings (this is a conservation area).  And concerns were also expressed about the possibility of 5 new flats generating 5 new cars in an area with an extreme shortage of parking space.

The application can be viewed on the Council’s website (link here).  The official deadline for sending in comments was earlier this month, however not many people seemed aware of the application, so after the SGRA meeting I contacted the planning officers and they have assured me they will continue to consider any comments they receive before the decision is made.  Apparently, the deadline for the Council to decide the application is the 2nd December – so if you want comment, support or object to the proposal please do so ASAP.

Over the summer Ed, Laura and I launched a survey of parking issues in the roads just outside the new Crouch End Controlled Parking Zone – as we were being inundated with complaints from residents.  We felt we had to do our own survey as the Council had broken their pledge to hold a consultation after the new CPZ was implemented.

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.

I’ve been keeping up the pressure on the Council to improve the streetlighting on Stapleton Hall Road, after a pledge to install new lamposts has been delayed.  As I mentioned in my previous post in July the Council promised to replace the inadequate streetlights, as a result of residents raising safety concerns.   I was originally told this would happen in September, then October - and I’m still assured it will be very soon.

I’ve also been pressing the Council to recondition the old Victorian lampposts and to reuse them in suitable places.  Apparently, they plan to try to reuse the ones from Stapleton Hall Road in Lordship Recreation Ground in the east of the borough.

It would be great if some of the old streetlights in Stroud Green could be saved and reused in the local area.  But its also really important (especially now the clocks have gone back and its dark so early) that there is decent lighting so people feel safe walking home in the evening.

For a number of months I’ve been trying to help an elderly resident who lives near Stapleton Hall Road get his home heated properly.  He is in his 70s and is a widower living alone.  His central heating broke down years ago, but he has no money to pay for new heating.

The Government provide Warm Front grants for older people in his situation.  I thought everything would be sorted when the Council arranged for a Warm Front engineer to visit.  However, it turns out  there is a £3,500 cap on support, which is £800 less than what the engineer thinks it will take.

The resident contacted me again to see what I could do – as he couldn’t pay the £800 himself.  I was worried we might have to arrange for the heating to only go in certain rooms, but a few days ago Haringey Council got back to me saying they would make up the £800 gap.  This is excellent news – and I think it will save the Council money in the long run, if it keeps him healthy and in his own home.

I’m so pleased to have been able to help this guy.  Its not very often you can make such an obvious difference.  If you know of anyone in a similar position, please do look into what help might be available.