Richard Wilson

Good news!  In a previous post I mentioned that for a number of years now I have been nagging the Council to remove the derelict old phone box by the shops on Weston Park.  It was installed by a private (non-BT) phone company and hasn’t been in operation for many years (see picture).

The Council have previously refused to remove it unless the company that installed it paid to do so – but of course the company has long since vanished.  However, for the first time, I have now gained a commitment from Council that the phone box will be removed, regardless of whether the costs can be recouped.  I’m really pleased – but its a shame that it has taken so long to make the Council see sense!

We have also been trying to make the shops feel safer in the evenings.  A couple of residents contacted Cllr Ed Butcher and me last year about groups of young people gathering near the shops in the evening, and creating an intimidating atmosphere.  We contacted the local ‘safer neighbourhood’ police team and they agreed to increase patrols.

I chatted to the local police sergeant about the issue again this week – and they have talked to the shopkeepers and think they have identified where the kids are coming from.   It sounds like the issue is in hand, but I’ve also written to local residents urging them to contact me if the problem persists – or returns when the evenings are warmer.

If you have a particular grot-spot you want sorted in 2010, or some ugly old street furniture you want removed then now could  be your chance.  On 14th January I’ve arranged to do a walkabout with Stroud Green’s new “Street Enforcement Officer” so I can point out problem areas.

One of my New Year’s wishes would be for the Council to eventually remove this ugly defunct old non-BT phone box on Weston Park (see picture).  Its something I’ve raised repeatedly over the years but the Council refuse to remove it themselves saying its the phone company’s job.  However, they never seem to have any success in getting the phone company to do anything – I suspect they went bust years ago.

If you have any similar obsessions with street furniture or a dumping hot spot you want me to point out to the “enforcer” then please get in contact.  Happy New Year!

I feel very sorry for anyone trying to drive or get a bus home in Haringey this evening as there appears to be complete gridlock.  All the main roads near me appear not to have been gritted and are now at a standstill.  This picture shows Ferme Park Road which is stationary and  full of broken down W3 buses.  At the junction of Weston Park a people carrier has bashed into the back of of a W3 adding to the gridlock.

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!

Back in March I reported a strange hole in Weston Park to the Council (see previous posting) and I was assured that the contractors who had resurfaced the road in 2008 would fix the problem at their own cost.  The hole appeared to be caused by poor workmanship with metal peices left under the tarmac.

I assumed this would be the end of it, but last week I got a call from my colleague Cllr David Winskill, who lives nearby, to say the hole was still there – and growing (see photo taken at the weekend).  I’ve now fired off an annoyed email to the Council’s highways officers demanding to know why – almost 4 months on – this hole still hasn’t been fixed.  It worries me that they seem not to check up on repairs that contractors are asked to make.

I was delighted when after years of nagging the Council, they eventually got round to resurfacing Weston Park last year.  The surface was breaking up, with cracks and potholes everywhere. 

So it is very depressing to discover new potholes are appearing in the road surface again so soon.  It makes you question whether the re-surfacing job was done properly.

Cllr David Winskill (Crouch End Ward) alerted me to this  new hole in Weston Park – on the section between Nelson Road and Ferme Park Road.  As you may be able to see underneath is metal – and our first thought was they had tarmaced over a manhole!  I’m not sure what it actually is, but I’m told the hole is growing by the day so perhaps it will become clearer.

I’ve reported it to the Council so hopefully it will be patched soon.  But what a shame that the new road surface hasn’t lasted.