Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Why has work stopped on the West Green Road Council Housing scheme?
Given that we have both a housing and cost of living crisis (and further that Haringey is an unaffordable area to anyone on average or local authority wages) it seems mad to me that a scheme to provide 46 Council homes 'soon' has been stopped half built for half a year. The reinforced concrete framework went up last year plus a few bits of insulation and brickwork but since then nothing. This is a scheme between Haringey Council and the Paul Simon Magic group but perhaps the magic has gone. Does anyone know why?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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It’s the name that appears on Google maps
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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You're very welcome, Anne.
All I can tell you, is that when I was first contacted by Alay Paun and talked with Ellis Gardiner (considered the father of the warehouse reisdents) and other warehouse residents 10 or so years ago, there was a split amongst the residents as to whether it was called Harringay Warehouse District or Manor House Warehouse District. Given that Alay's preference was for Harringay, I went with that. The only reference I've seen to Haringey Warehouses is when referring collectively the those in Harringay and in Tottenham or by out-of-area journalists who know no better.
I know exactly how the Google Maps entry originated and, notwithstanding that it couldn't be both Manor House Warehouse District and Harringay Warehouse District, it was based on the preferences of residents at the time.
Caitlin Strongarm who's leading the charge on the Omega Works and who's been in touch with me regularly over the past months, seems to have no problem knowing her Harringay from her Haringey.
It's not clear to me why other people keep on expending energy trying to rename an area, the name of which was settled almost 150 years ago. The neighbourhood name has never been spelt Haringey (save for a few attempts by Hornsey Urban District Council to spell the Passage that way).
The Manor House was a pub and its name only got real traction as a wayfinder, after London Transport chose to call new new station after it. I can understand that because warehouse residents arrived at their new home via the tube, they considered that they were arriving in Manor House and so some of them made an initial choice to use the name Manor House Warehouses. Understandable;they didn't know the area, nor that their new homes were in an area long-known as Harringay.(If you're not clear about that quite recent history, Anne, I can link you to another thread where I've provided all the evidence you might want). For the more transient part of the community, the Manor House name has stuck, but I'm not aware of its name ever having included Haringey, other than as I’ve already said).
PS: Lest I smell fears of a conspiracy, the reason you can't add an indented reply to my comment is the long-standing one that the indentation levels max out at 8. (Through the indentation numbers no longer show since Ning broke the site and lost the code I'd added for that reason).
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Here you are Anne, I spoke with Caitllin again yesterday and having promised to do something for her, I came across the results of a poll of the residents living in the part of the warehouses at the end of Vale Road. It was run two years ago by the owner Shulem Askler's company, Provewell. (Click image to enlarge - the picture not Shulem!). Sorry to say that "Haringey Warehouse District" doesn't make an appearance.
You can see the piece online here.
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Permalink Reply by anne barwick on
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Hadn't realised the spelling was what's bugging you. Although, if you'd read their flyers you'd know that the "Save the Warehouses" folks use both spellings of the " H" word that's really not what is important right now. What is much more important than games about names is that this planning application if granted, could set a precedent to change any local street from low rise mixed use to blocks of 8 storey flats. It's not just the Omega Works community that is at risk and needs protecting, it's the entire area, however you want to name and spell it, and it worries me that people don't realise this.
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Not bugging me at all, Anne. I originally made two points in response to yours. One was to correct, for the sake of clarity, your spelling error: the other was to question your assertion about the origin of the name. It was you who chose to focus on the spelling issue in your comment and so made the focus of your comment your game about the name. You then chose to pick up on only the spelling issue in my response.
No need to lecture on what’s important with regard to protecting the ‘warehouses’ and the lifestyle its residents choose. I’ve been proactively doing that for the past ten years and am helping Caitlin with her campaign right now.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Anne you "are really surprised that Harringay people haven't picked up on the implications . . . . ."
What would be needed for this to happen and "pick-up on" the implications of these and many other issues?
Perhaps a greater degree of mutually respectful dialogue + willingness to learn about the background issues by local residents? Neither of which are always prominent features in the posting of everyone on HoL.
And how about having a government whose legislation isn't quite so aimed at kissing the rear ends of developers? And with planning goals which balance the needs of families and not just defer to the desire of millionaires to own safety cash boxes in the London skies.
I've long had a dream that one day all MPs would be required to live most of their time in office in the worst housing in their constituencies.
As I recall, several years ago the Danish urbanist Jan Gehl pointed out that the most popular area of Copenhagen for the homes of professors of architecture was ordinary lower rise houses in ordinary streets. I raised a similar question at a public meeting with developers being "consulted" on the mini-forest of stumpy towers sprouting near Tottenham Hale Station. Most of these "experts" were tight-lipped. But one admitted that, no, he didn't live in a building like these and wouldn't want to.
Zena Brabazon and I got another snapshot of this when we met a software writer in South London who was organising with other tenants to prevent their estate being demolished. She'd been to a software event in Shanghai and met a Chinese colleague who told her about about his empty flat in London. He'd no idea where it was and had never been there. Did he rent it out? Of course not! Shocked, he explained that it was like a brand new car which lost value immediately it was driven on the road.
Once upon a time my former Party, (now misleadingly still owning copyright on the name "Labour") used to allow debate and dissent. Including marching against estate demolition and social cleansing through so-called housing policies. Sadly. . .
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Permalink Reply by Neil Le Milliere on
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Great post Alan, thanks for that.
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Permalink Reply by jp quethiock on
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Red%20House%20development%203.jpg
I took another stroll today to see how the Paul Simon Magic Group/Haringey Council housing scheme is going and took a nice photo of the almost permanently redundant crane on site. I could see no sign of work but spoke to someone there who told me that electricians are going in and bricklayers are expected soon. So then I asked if that meant the development might soon be finished. He told me the expected date is May 2024. I think that the Council might want to reword the sign that for at least the last 18 months has said 46 Council homes coming soon. And perhaps the local councillors might ask why desperately needed homes seem to take no priority.
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Many thanks for continuing to keep locals updated, jp quethiock. You gonna show us your snaps?
As you say, new homes desperately needed - while the formerly Public-owned land and buildings unused. Another homes scandal or boring ol' Snafu?
As in Shakespeare's Hamletgey watchmen guard the bleak gates and embattlements of Wastinmore. There are rumours of the incipient arrival of brickies. But little indication of live wires pushing this project on.Something rotten in this ghostly corner of our local state? Which wraiths are funding equipment which has stood idle?
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Here's a couple of happy snaps. At least the site is providing 24/7 employment for security staff, albeit doubtless on minimum wages.
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Red House development 4.jpg, 1.4 MB -
Red House development 3.jpg, 1.4 MB
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jpq, in case you haven't already noticed, you'll be pleased to hear that work seems to be proceeding again. I took this snap for you of a man at work on the top on one of the buildings at the back.
I hadn't appreciated how huge the development is. I've only ever driven past the West Green frontage before and seen it out of the corner of my eye. Today, I walked over to the Latino store at the top of Seven Sisters Road and walked past the Stanley Road frontage. The photo below only captures an idea of the depth of the development.
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Thanks Hugh. I'm glad to see there appeared to be a human being up on the scaffolding. Did they move?
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