Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The Hell that is Wood Green
Yesterday, I had the misfortune to find myself in the shopping mall. Walking out the big automatic doors and into the crowd of Star Wars pub extras who were smoking, spitting and squabbling on the footpath I witnessed what for me sums up the whole carbuncle on the arse of Haringey that is Wood Green High Road. One of the characters stormed through the crowd with his status dog in tow. I was reflecting on the fact that ‘status’ dogs don't seem to work (as the people who have them only ever seem to be what everyone else in society would consider low status). Everything suddenly went quiet except the ever present sirens. The status dog had stopped and released its copious bowels all over the footpath. It was like turning on the light in an HMO; the cockroaches screamed and scattered. The dog owner laughed and walked on. It was probably one of the most disgusting things I have seen or smelt in London. Eventually the crowd returned and watched the next horde trample the mess up and down the road. There was no-one to turn to, no-one to clean up and more importantly no-one with the authority to challenge and/or shoot the dog owner. Things just returned to normal.
The whole experience made me think how the council, local police and traders believe that we're all animals if they are happy for us to have to deal with this every time we go to the High Road. It's easy enough for me to hop on a bus and head off to Crouch End or Islington or even Enfield to shop but if you're older or disabled and have trouble getting around or not enough money for the bus it must be pretty grim to face it every day. Imagine how the standard little old lady dreads heading out into the crowds, litter, phlegm, smoke and anti-social behaviour of Wood Green every morning to get the milk.
Short of manning water cannons at each end of the High Road and employing some mercenaries with batons to control the crowds, I don’t know what can be done. Are there any clever ‘nudges’ or interventions that could improve Wood Green? Is it a matter of tarting the place up and hoping that the crowds respect their new surroundings? Is it signage to remind, and in many instances educate, people that spitting, littering and barging into other people is just not the done thing? Or do we just give up, bulldoze the lot and install a waterhole in the middle and let the law of the jungle and the status dog owners prevail?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jeanette Sitton on
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Now, that is something I have to wholeheartedly agree with. Haringey residents have given Labour more than a fair crack at the whip. It’s time for Conservatives to clean this borough up. I live in Labour’s Tottenham Hale and, over the border lays Waltham Forest, (a Conservative borough at one time). During its long Conservative stint, it was maintained really well. Hanging baskets decorated lamp posts and railings; the streets were clean and pavements tidy, and, in general, moral seemed pretty high. Then it went Labour. All that changed.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Hi Karen; a definitive history of Wood Green Shopping City would be interesting, but no, I'm afraid I can't point to anything beyond the British Pathe documentary that you'll have seen.
The film mentioned the poor decisions that were taken early on in the project. It also highlighted the decision of the John Lewis Partnership to withdraw from the project. My guess is that one of the reasons John Lewis withdrew, is that they lost confidence in the lead developer.
I believe we've seen it before and we'll see it again.
Tottenham is now, again, the subject of council regeneration ambition. The attendance at the Cannes junket portends not well.
My observation is that, due to limited negotiating ability, council reps strikes poor deals with private developers and later, others get wind of just how bad the deal or proposal is and how the public is being ripped off. Those others might be colleagues but the greatest risk, is if details leak out to the press or public.
Sometimes, only the High Court has the power to halt the effects of the poor judgement relating to municipal land and property. This seems to have been a chronic problem ...
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Emina Ibrahim on
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I can't remember the exact year it went but DH EVANS (House of Fraser) was a great department store and was the anchor store untill it changed to Pearsons. My mum loved it and was very disappointed when it closed down. I do know that prior to the Primark the proposal was for the store to be replaced by a large Debenhams. When I was a child Wood Green was a shopping mecca, there were good stores and lots of choice for every price range. The area of Spouters corner was an open air clothing market and the Market Hall in the shopping city covered two floors. There was a large Woolworths too behind the fruit and veg and flower stalls, really good shoe shops, Bally, Russell and Bromley, Ravel etc, my mum still looks at me disapprovingly if I buy shoes from clothing stores because she believes only a specialist shoe shop can produce good shoes. Going to Wood Green was a proper day out for people across London before the popularity of out of town shopping centres. It still has the highest footfall of Saturday shoppers for a high street outside Oxford Street.
I think one of the problems is the bus stops along the high road and they are all located near ATMs which causes clustering at certain points. The era I am talking about we have to remember was a time when you had to queue for buses in an orderly fashion or risked a £2 fine from a police officer for queue jumping. The image of people pushing and shoving on to buses was unthinkable. Also there were not so many ATMs of course.
I went to Westfield in Stratford on Friday and it was like shopping at an airport, it felt characterless. The day before I had taken my 9 and 3 year old niece and nephew to Wood Green for lunch and to choose their own Easter Egg. We decided however that they had so many eggs that I would buy them something else, so 3 year old opts rather cheaply for a dinosaur in Tiger and niece wants a book. She was pulling me into WHSmiths but after some debate I marched her to the Big Green Bookshop. She remembered the owner coming to her school during the literary festival and he also helped her find the book she wanted. When we left she said she wants to buy her books there all the time now - and the added bonus is that we didn't leave with bags of Haribo and MnMs! I urge anyone to make the special trip and support this local business - pay a little more than on amazon but it's worth it - a proper bookshop experience.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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The problem ATM in Harringay is behind a bus shelter too... perhaps we're on to something?
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Permalink Reply by Jamie To on
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Hi Emma. I remember the days you mention! Boots on two floors, House of Fraser, C & A etc. Market hall wasn't too bad either (I mean the fruit and veg, the butchers and seafood counters. Now what is there in Wood Green? Oh yes, the cheap and cheerful pound shops. Nothing in Wood Green, just tat. Even when you go into WH Smiths there are no staff. BHS is no better or M & S. Its a mess. Name one decent shop? There are none!! A shopping centre and high street so big, but not even a decent shoe shop in site.
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Permalink Reply by Takaokagiejin on
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Last time I went to H&M in Wood Green a five year old girl had a wee in the middle of the shop floor. Much the same reaction from the crowds and the mum simply carried on browsing, being careful to step over the large yellow puddle as she headed off for the fitting rooms.
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Permalink Reply by pipplypig on
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to be honest, shopping in wood green H&M makes me feel like weeing in the middle of the shop floor too. I certainly wouldnt want to use any public loos in the area.
Wood green is terrifying and the shops there are by and large depressing- there doesnt seem to be anywhere to get a decent latte or artisan loaf.
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Permalink Reply by 2h5xayl2ptfnw on
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If you're in Wood Green on a Sunday, you can get a decent latte AND an artisan loaf at Noel Park market. on Gladstone Avenue, right behind the mall
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Permalink Reply by Albert Ross on
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" there doesnt seem to be anywhere to get a decent latte or artisan loaf. "
Please tell me this was an ironic comment?
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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I was hoping that this was ironic too! ;-) The best thing about wood Green IS that it's totally unpretentious.
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I can hardly imagine a better example of a #middleclassproblem!
Nasty spitting men with staffies Vs Pretentious self-absorbed yummies?
Tough call!
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