Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Raft of Key Consultations
I've been holding off posting these very important consultation documents for a few days, wondering how to best present them. I'm afraid there's been no blinding flash of light so I'm just going to offer them to you.
Between them, the results of these consultations will have a significant impact on the borough over the next fifteen years. I think the only way we could do them justice would be as a group. If anyone has the time and inclination to lead us through this very complex set of documents, I'll offer any support I can.
The consultation is for the Haringey Core Strategy. This is:
The current stage of consultation runs from 10 May to 21 June and offers the final opportunity to comment on the final draft of the document before it is submitted to the Planning Inspector for Independent Examination in late 2010.
There are three parts to the consultation
- the main core strategy
- the Development Management Policies DPD sets out the detailed policies which will be used to assess and determine planning applications.
- the Site Allocations DPD identifies appropriate development sites and will set out the Council’s preferred use for land and buildings on specific sites which are likely to be subject to development proposals.
You can see the full core strategy document online. Links on this page offer guidance on how to respond and will take you to info and guidance on the other two documents.
There is ALSO a consultation for the borough’s transport strategy which will set out Haringey’s transport requirements over the next 20 years.
Find out more on this one and respond online by 28th June.
Between them, the results of these consultations will have a significant impact on the borough over the next fifteen years. I think the only way we could do them justice would be as a group. If anyone has the time and inclination to lead us through this very complex set of documents, I'll offer any support I can.
The consultation is for the Haringey Core Strategy. This is:
the new plan for the future development of the borough up to 2026. The plan sets out how the Council will deliver affordable housing, better community facilities, more schools and training opportunities, improved public transport and more attractive and safer streets and parks.
The Core Strategy forms part of the Local Development Framework which is the folder of documents to guide planning and development in the borough for the next 15 years.
The current stage of consultation runs from 10 May to 21 June and offers the final opportunity to comment on the final draft of the document before it is submitted to the Planning Inspector for Independent Examination in late 2010.
There are three parts to the consultation
- the main core strategy
- the Development Management Policies DPD sets out the detailed policies which will be used to assess and determine planning applications.
- the Site Allocations DPD identifies appropriate development sites and will set out the Council’s preferred use for land and buildings on specific sites which are likely to be subject to development proposals.
You can see the full core strategy document online. Links on this page offer guidance on how to respond and will take you to info and guidance on the other two documents.
There is ALSO a consultation for the borough’s transport strategy which will set out Haringey’s transport requirements over the next 20 years.
Find out more on this one and respond online by 28th June.
Tags for Forum Posts: consultation, core strategy
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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There's a week left on this. Don't know about anyone else but I've been remiss about doing anything on this. Then I'll look back in the future and wonder why I didn't input when I could. Aaah well.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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David Lammy is all too aware of the level at which many of his constituents are able to engage with the council. Nice to see they have listened to him, not.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Sorry, John. I don't understand this comment at all. It would be helpful if you could set out your thoughts and suggestions a little more clearly.
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I wasn't suggesting anything. I was being completely critical and cynical. These documents are plainly not there to be understood by any but the people who wrote them in the first place.
At a "town hall" meeting where David Lammy met with local residents in the St John's Church Hall Harringay sometime in Winter 2008 (I think). He said (and I wish I'd noted exactly what it was but I didn't) that some of his residents in Tottenham itself were not as well organised and articulate as those on the Ladder. I took this as a poke at the council, not a poke at his constituents. Feel free to correct me.
I actually went hunting for a posting you made a few months ago where you were taking about obfuscation and mentioned an acquaintance who was a council officer in another borough whose favourite method was information overload.
Hugh is not silly and has loads of time on his hands (his car is always very clean). Just who is this document intended for? Perhaps the legal department of London Concrete?
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Some time back (a year ago) the council advertised several times in the Haringey Newsletter that drops on our mat. It had an advert in suggesting people could view (what I believe was) the council's unitary development plan- forgive me my memory is vague on the detail. It did this on at least 2 occasions. So, I thought I would have a crack.
I went to the web site I was directed to and downloaded the documents. Now, I consider myself a fairly bright bloke (university educated etc...) and I found the documents impenetrable. I went along to meeting at the workingmen’s club on Green Lanes and met a lady who I believe leads on consultations in the council and I made several points verbally to her. They went along the lines that most normal citizens could not possibly engage with the ‘consultation’ process based on the documents presented. If memory serves one was 173 pages.
If memory serves (again) I believe it was only in English- and given more than 50% of this borough’s residents are none English speaking as a first language I think a huge swathe of the population had effectively been excluded. I made the point that the only people who could penetrate these documents were professionals in UDP planning, special interest groups and council officers working on such areas.
I also suggested that in future these kind of consultations be presented to the public in something of a more bite sized document. Ie in some form of summarised PowerPoint type format, so that the main headlines can be discerned, and then followed up by reference to the relevant spot in the main document if a particular area catches you.
I see (in true democratic fashion) this plea fell on deaf ears. I do not know if the information overload approach was taken, or whether the people managing this consultation just could not be bothered! Sadly when I see the kind of approach taken here I just shake my head and feel any enthusiasm simply dissolve, as once again democracy happens to me....
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Sometimes, John, I find your comments intriguing, but a bit cryptic. I was just curious. Thanks for explaining.
I'm sorry people find the documents difficult to get to grips with. Although I don't agree with Justin's view about Powerpoint. (Try a Google search on "Powerpoint and dumbing down" for some interesting stuff). But I do agree that we need to try different ways of presenting material.
Having said that, these planning documents are legal documents which will go before a planning inspector and then be relied on to shape and constrain the changes we hope to see for several years. There aren't short cuts.
By the way, I haven't discussed these particular issues with David. But in any case he can speak for himself!
Tottenham Hale ward councillor.
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So Justin used a poor piece of technology to make a point and you used the fact that it was poor to disagree with him. I agree with him. Local elections every four years and look at the efforts our politicians put into communicating with us at 'our' level. Strategy document for the next sixteen and I think Justin is right to say that he feels democracy is being done to him.
Your argument that this is a legal document and it's always done this way does not absolve the council of the responsibility to communicate with us properly.
I can't tell if you're defending the document, the council or the process. Whatever, do you think it's OK? No hidden proliferation of high street betting shops or concrete factories in residential areas in there?
PS sorry, I am quite mad and obtuse I've been told. Will try harder.
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Sorry if I wasn't clear, John.
I do agree with Justin that the Council needs to try out and experiment with different ways of 'doing' consultation - both the 'how' and 'what' (including the materials we use). I mentioned Powerpoint because that was Justin's example - I wasn't challenging his general argument.
I agree with you that because these are legal documents doesn't mean they shouldn't be clear. (Many decades ago I used to be a lawyer and one really positive change since then has been the way the Law Commission clarified the language of statutes. They are far easier to read and understand than when I sat scratching my head with all the heretofors and notwithstandings.) But legal documents need to be strong enough to stand up to determined legal challenge.)
In general I'm not 'defending' anything or anyone. I want to improve all the council's consultations. I'd hoped this was an online conversation about ways to do this.
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The question is now, how will such experimentation occur? I have put this proposal to someone who should have been in a position to effect change, but nothing has happened.
Democracy is such a fantastic concept, but at times (such as these) the barriers to achieving it appear insumountable to be honest.
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