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Last time I looked ( five minutes ago) the town centre of Seven Sisters ie Wards Corner, was still very much there. The Community Plan for its restoration and refurbishment has been submitted to the planning department. There is every reason for the Council to approve that plan and work with the WCCC and possibly Grainger to create a great resource for the people who live, work and shop here, it has such fantastic potential to be a brilliant 'gateway' re-using the existing unique buildings instead of greeting those arriving in Tottenham with an ugly identikit slab, the owners of which will be busy siphoning money out of the area. That original 20th-century Area Plan that brought in Grainger is now soooo old and redundant.
If you are learning from and acknowledging your mistakes, does that mean you now regret voting for the Grainger demolition plan, in that critical planning meeting?
Pam, please forgive me, but this really is like Groundhog Day.
& so on.
If there is a bung it will be in their accounts, They are Grainger PLC. Of course if it's like how bungs work in the city and it went into someone's personal account, possibly in Switzerland.
Unfortunately Alan as you are the only Labour (or ex-) councillor to write on this site you do get more than your share of criticism for the actions of all your colleagues. There are fourteen councillors past and present who have voted for the Grainger plan, and one who courageously voted against it but later changed her mind, I dread to think how that bit of persuasion was executed. Plus a couple of cttee chairs, I lose count overall. Plus those who came up with the plan on the New Deal committee, plus of course the non-speaking members at the meetings, the lurking presences of the Dear Leader and her acolytes. Do they all read this blog, but not feel able to defend their actions?
Tris: I have to say this again as you have been got at by the council's propaganda - the Wards Corner Community Coalition is desperate for change at Wards Corner. We agree that the deliberate apparent dereliction engendered by the council brings down the area. (We live here too.) However the structure of the store and the market hall is sound. It looks appalling from the outside, as it has been deliberately neglected by the owners TfL, in cahoots with the council. There is a huge space on the first floor above the market area, and the three floors of the corner store - these are the first part of the Community Plan that could be restored, used to re-house the market while that is restored. We could have an unique building complex holding small independent businesses and an arts and performance centre, with community interests driving it. Live/work units on the top floor. Refurbished with green standards. It is all so possible, it drives us to desperation that we have been blocked at every turn now that the council has got itself into hock with Grainger and can't get out of the development agreement signed in (I think) 2004. The council will not meet us or our backers, nor will TfL.
Look at the now rebuilt Co-op store that was destroyed in the riots. The owner recognised that chucking up a replacement pile of flats in a slab was not the way to proceed, and has rebuilt to exactly the original appearance, but with 21st century standards. Given a corner site, those architects in 1930 made similar decisions to those at Wards in 1910. We don't need another slabby cliff-face design as a boring replacement for this fine heritage building. Look beyond the hoardings.
The documents in St Ann's Labour Branch ward selection are not missing. Not are they alleged to exist by people who've never seen them.
The Labour Party National Rules exist and are downloadable. The voting slips and list of attenders exist and were sent to the London Region - but denied to the Secretary and Chair of the Tottenham Labour Party. The Electoral Registers are a matter of public record. The Party membership records exist and are stored on the Party's computers.
I believe Mr Hole is referring to the missing minutes re the £1.5m bung to Grainger. Even if he wasn't, I am. As the New Deal 10-year finite project is long over, we don't expect to ever be able to trace these, which is bad news for those looking for answers to who and how this somewhat expensive gift to a hugely rich developer and landlord, was agreed. Perhaps Mr Lammy will turn out to have copies tucked away.
A parallel between Heygate and Wards Corner? Can't really see it myself, JJ.
Was I wrong or misguided about the Planning application? I sat on the planning committee on that first occasion and as I've repeatedly explained - including on this website - Planning decisions are legally constrained by what are called material planning considerations. But you already know this.
Is there a possibility of changing the Grainger design? I suggested that the Wards Corner Coalition contact Grainger to discuss exactly this. They own the building and have a planning permission.
Was I wrong? Probably in several respects. But more accurately, I was ignorant. My ignorance was about what's now happening across many cities. We've all had the chance to learn a lot more. I've been trying to learn. (Though with little or no help from Haringey staff or my fellow councillors.) In particular about the speed at which disaster capitalism (or "vulture capitalism") is engaged in social cleansing. Which is the direct opposite of what they say - the supposed creation of mixed communities. As you know, Tottenham has "mixed communities" - mixed in class, race, ethnicity, age, health etc. etc
JJ. by the "current Haringey regime" for regeneration I guess you mean Claire Kober and Alan Strickland. I'm not in a position to "admit" or "deny" anything about what Kober cares about. Apart I'd guess from remaining Dear Leader of the Council and having a political career. I used to have some respect for Alan Strickland. In North Tottenham we'll soon discover if he has any backbone and principles. Or is just another pointless puppet.
I went to a "Soundings" faux-consultation event. It was the same wish-list approach as on Love Lane Estate. I imagine it'll be used to justify whatever Kober/Strickland want.
Apologies for assuming Grainger plc now own Seven Sisters Market. I'd guessed they have been buying-up "parcels" of land. But I haven't tracked this. Ask Wards Corner Coalition.
I was not aware until recently of the wider social cleansing agenda across London. (And in other large cities.) After the riot I started putting together what I was seeing, hearing, and reading.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
There's a huge difference between the Heygate Estate and North Tottenham. The answer... location.
Heygate is nearer the Elephant and castle, an increasingly popular area of London, with Borough Market, The South Bank and the City on its doorstep, with excellent transport links to the West End and Canary Wharf. Also, their local council actually delivers good public services.
By contrast, despite what many say on this forum, there is still no real demand for property in Tottenham. Even if Haringey Council 'manages' to get the local residents, organisations and businesses to leave, developers would still find it difficult to attract people to 'buying' any of the 'homes' that would be built. The area surrounding Spurs, in a worse-case scenario, could resemble the look of many derelict, empty parts of cities in the north of England.
Haringey Council in the past has never, ever, been developer friendly, so why did they change now? Before the riots, they simply didn't give a stuff. After struggling to get Grainger to gain control of the Ward's Corner building, I still believe both the council's and the borough's reputation will prevent any serious regeneration and ongoing private-sector investment in the area now, and in the future.
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