A Vision for Harringay - building the future

On the back of the spring Harringay Online Residents' Priorities Survey, I wrote to our local councillors and proposed that they, the residents and the traders work together to develop a visionary plan for Harringay. I had in mind using the Government's new Local Charter scheme as a vehicle and building a collaboratively generated truly visionary plan for the future of Harrringay.

Of them all, Nilgun Canver was the most receptive - to the extent that we met for coffee and she promised me that she would take it forward within the Green Lanes Strategy Group (GLSG). Good to her word, a few weeks ago, Nilgun invited me to address the GLSG (of which she is the Chair) about my concept.

I prepared a briefing document including the residents' survey results and spoke for about 10 -15 minutes. Andy of the Garden's Residents' Assocation was actively supportive and so was Nilgun. The meeting decided to pursue the idea and I was told I would hear something soon.

I took it as a good sign when a few weeks later Nilgun's assistant emailed me to ask for a soft copy of my briefing document.

I now understand that there's another meeting to start taking the idea forward on July 3rd which is great news.

One of the things that will be critical is not only that it gets done but also how it is done. It will never have the success it deserves unless it is both developed and delivered as an active collaboration between residents, traders and the Council. At the moment I'm not sure what's intended on this score. The fact that I haven't heard directly about the next meeting gives me slight cause for concern. (And this is not about ME wanting to get an invite - really! I'm just wondering what the possible ommission says about the intended inclusiveness of the process).

I wait to hear more and will keep you updated.