Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Concerned about the state of Finsbury Park boating lake
Hello dear people,
I was wondering if anyone else has noticed that the lake in Finsbury Park has become dirty over the last few weeks especially.
There seems to be a whole lotta green algae on the surface which I think is caused by the water remaining stagnant and in the last few weeks there has been increasing amount of nasty bits such as plastic bags and cans being thrown in the lake which are now floating about. What can be done about it?
I'm guessing the park upkeep budget took a hit as well along with many other essential services in the borough. Can anyone tell me who I can contact at Haringey council and/or does anyone have any other ideas about how to tackle this?
many thanks
Suzi
Tags for Forum Posts: Finsbury, boating, environment, lake, park, the
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
-
Suziki I suggest Parks Customer Care
Email: parks@haringey.gov.ukThe phone number on Haringey's website for Parks is 0208 489 1000. If you use that, I'd suggest confirming your call with a very brief email.
Although the Haringey Parks webpage has a link to "report a problem in a park", this doesn't take you to a specific link about parks. And I couldn't work out how to classify what you've described. Algae aren't dumped rubbish even if cans are!
This needs fixing!
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
Permalink Reply by Suziki on
-
thank you for this Alan,
I have emailed the Parks customer service and I am waiting for a reply. Will let you know how I get on.
I wonder if any other groups like Friends of Finsbury Park who might be on HoL have discussed this matter?
I will try to get in touch with them as well this week
Suziki
-
-
hello everyone,
I got a reply from the parks service -and quite promptly I have to say.
there were some problems with the aerators in the lake and what I thought was algae is in fact common duck weed which have been encouraged because of the problems with the aerators.
One of the aerators seems to be working now I saw today and they're trying to sort out the others.
For the duck weed, they have introduced grass carp that will hopefully eat it all up...
feel better now that I know they are aware and are trying to sort out this stuff :)
Suziki
-
Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
-
Suziki, last weekend I noticed the same problem that you did and I reported it to councillors. Whether its algae (which I thought too) or "common" duck weed, it makes the place look like a sludgy swamp.
Further, as I passed the south western corner of the boating lake, two full-size rats scuttled back to the bushes growing by the south western corner - and just a path's width away from the children's play area. Doubtless other (rodent) family members are in the bushes.
Especially in the summer, Finsbury Park is much used and valued by the public, but nowadays, park maintenance seems to have taken a back seat.
-
Permalink Reply by NIck and Lizzy on
-
There was a rat in the playground yesterday by the sand pit. Bit alarming. I remember thinking, "aren't rats scared of people?" this one wasn't. Thanks for the contact details. Maybe I should report it?
-
-
N & L: I think most rats are scared of people. But these rats have got friends or relations on the council executive who decided to slash park maintenance (was it halved?), prioritising things of more importance to the council. Therefore, those rats continue to run around, shameless, bold-as-brass.
-
-
Really? Outrageous. I think I will report the rat issue.
-
-
Odd that they should think aeration and grass carp are a solution to duckweed. Excessive duckweed is usually down to an excess of nutrients in the water so these measures will at best treat the symptoms not the cause. Also having (a long time ago) had some aquaculture experience I remember grass carp were pretty useless at controlling duckweed and would only eat it out of desperation when they'd eaten all the other plants in a body of water. Attempting to control an excess of nutrients by introducing a non-native fish that will in all probability eat the plants that absorb nutrients doesn't seem a great way forward to me. Still, I expect a fish farmer somewhere is congratulating himself on a nice little earner
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
-
I have also taken this up with Parks at the council together with the issue with the rats. Ill report back as soon as I can.
-
-
Thank you Clive and Karen for also reporting these issues to the council.
I'm glad you mentioned the rats as well- I forgot to mention this earlier.. they do seem to bolder and numerous than before. So bold that they do not mind coming out into the open near the cafe and children's play area in daylight and when there are plenty of people about.
Chauncey- I've used the fixmystreet thing as well today so let's see what comes of it...
Grant- I don't really know much about aquaculture so I believed what the park customer service person told me about duck weed and carps.
If they are fibbing about this or trying to fob me off with mentions of carp and aerators as part of a cost cutting exercise, it is going to come back and bite them I think because they will have a much bigger problem to deal with which will cost more and have caused more damage in the end.
There is something the council cannot do and the people who visit the park should do and unfortunately are not doing is to clean up after themselves. It really is not much effort to do this as there are several rubbish bins in the park and if they are full, we have bins at home we can use- do we not? I feel upset and disappointed that some people are keen to use the park when it suits them but do not care for its upkeep...
I will let you know when I hear from the council again and thanks for all your suggestions/help
Suziki
-
-
Hello
I thought things were slowly improving as I saw the aeretors working but it seems they have not bothered to clean the surface of the lake as I thought they might do and there is still lumps of rubbish piling up in the sludge on surface that is building up over time.
The rats are running to grab the food people are giving to the ducks and birds and geese and are not one bit bothered about humans being nearby
I hope the council do not think Finsbury Park is not worth looking after..it certainly is being neglected now
Has anyone heard back from councillors/the council since they reported the deteriorating state of the lake and the rats? I'm emailing the council again but not sure where else to take my concerns to....
Suziki
-
-
I'm sure the council thinks that Finsbury Park is work looking after, but its a low priority for them, amongst the lowest.
Which means that maintenance is now neglected. There's no money for parks. But there might have been money for parks now, if there had not been such profligacy in the past. I wonder if £6,650 might help the current rat and lake problem?
I say £6,650, because that was the cost of a glossy, full colour 64-page book called "Views of Stroud Green" produced in 2008. A Freedom of Information request to the council revealed* that 1,000 copies were printed and the overall project cost £6,650. The overall cost per copy is therefore £6.65; they were distributed "free" via libraries and at one point, Stroud Green library had a stack of them available.
Nearly half the pages of the book were full page/full colour portrait of a resident. This perfectly useless, vanity publication was produced by the council's now-disbanded Neighbourhood Management Service. This extra layer of bureaucracy spent time - and money - justifying its existence.
It's just a small, documented example of PR extravagance and why there's now no money for basics, such as park maintenance. Council leadership and judgement is about choices and priorities.
=========================================================
*More detail: here is the breakdown of the £6,650:
£2,700 - Neighbourhood Management paid for the printing of 1,000
copies of the 64 page coloured paper back book.
£2,400 - Portraits and Interviews cost (4 days) cost for 1
photographer and 2 Job share assistants*
£600 - Booklet Design (3 days x £200).
£400 - Transcribing Interviews word from word and editing the text
took four days.
£400 - Creating Personalised Framed Portrait prints (10 x 8 inches)
for each person that participated in the project.
£150 - Travel Cost for four days for Common Eye.
*Common Eye carried out the following tasks: Design of interview
questions; Carrying out In depth interviews with 36 local residents
and businesses in Lower Stroud Green, including personalised
professional photographs. Taking a series of architectural photos of
the neighbourhood. Taking photos and resident interviews at Carlton
Lodge Funday and Stroud Green Jamboree Play Project
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
