Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Investment in Tottenham - Potential place to move to?
Hi there,
I am new to London, new to England in fact. I am from New Zealand but my Great Grandparents lived in Tottenham (Sherringham Ave) so I thought I would check out the area. Personally, I thought it could do with a bit of a spruce up and was delighted to see that there are now plans (not sure if totally committed yet?) to heavily invest in the area.
This got me thinking that it could potentially be a place to buy a house and settle in for a while - housing in the area seems considerably cheaper than other London areas and if this investment comes to fruition then prices may well rise.
I thought I would get the locals view on where they think the best place would be to buy within the area that has the planned investment (Northumberland Park, Tottenham Hale, Seven Sisters, Tottenham Green). Being relatively young and from NZ (where my NZ $ buys peanuts over here) I need something on the cheaper side but I will do a lot of DIY to get the place up to scratch - so the area is really the most important part for me right now.
Any help would be appreciated so I can concentrate my effort and hopefully find that rough diamond!!
Tags for Forum Posts: house, housing market, investment, tottenham
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Taz Gray on
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Hi Ben,
I'm sorry that I've come to this thread quite late but thought I'd like to add something too to your discussion.
It's coming up to 2 years at the end of this month since I moved to Tottenham. To be honest I had no idea what to expect from the area. I saw a flat I really really liked that I was able to afford so I moved here. It wasn't too long after the riots happened but that didn't deter me one bit. What was more important was that I found a place I can call home. In hindsight, it was perhaps a little naive not having done much research on the area but the flat overruled all of that and thankfully I didn't regret it. But I think getting people's opinion on an area is definitely a sensible move.
Meeting and making new friends is always a little daunting when you move into a new area but this is where this community forum has come up trumps. I've met so many people through this website and have made very good friends. It's nice to have 'local' people you can just meet up with without having to travel across London.
I also started a social group to meet more people who live in Tottenham and to hang out in the local area. I've come across people who have lived here for years to some who have just moved into the area. They all had different stories but all had one thing in common - they want to meet more local people and socialise more in Tottenham. I guess perhaps this is why more things are popping up (albeit quite slowly) around the area especially near Seven Sisters. Perhaps this part of Tottenham would be a good place to start?
There are many community groups within the area of Tottenham. Unless you actively seek out what's out there, you won't really feel the 'community spirit' that people talk about. There's a massive Tottenham community spirit on Twitter who love talking about what's new and exciting and would go and support new businesses and initiatives in droves when they start. (Think someone should open a 'nice' pub on the high road. They'd make a mint, Or an Indian)
A few positive things which took place recently -
Tottenham Ploughmans - An event which was organised by local resident Cheryl Cohen (who organises the all the London's Farmer's Markets) which included 3 local artisan producers. It was a great success and also got a brief mention in Time Out and Evening Standard. New ploughman event planned for 8th Dec.
Soul Food Girls - A Tottenham Hale based supperclub which is sold out every month and has been featured in the Guardian and also the Huffington Post.
Positive Youth Haringey - Managed to get a full page spread in Time Out a few weeks ago to combat the negative image of young people in Tottenham. Quite a feat for a small community organisation.
Arts exhibitions - Lots of these are popping up around the area. Look up Bruce Castle Museum, Make-Room Arts, Euroarts Studios, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, 639 Centre, Fountayne Road Warehouse communities.
El Botellon and new Cakes and Shakes - Opened in Seven Sisters and is already proving popular with the locals.
Apologies, but I'm not really sure what the council are doing to change things in the area so I can't comment on that but I do know locals who live in the area are the ones creating their own initiatives and making things happen for people to enjoy all over Tottenham.
Tottenham is a fantastic place to do that!! Hope that's helped.
Cheers
Taz
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Permalink Reply by 24g2s8fz5ir06 on
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I was at Cakes and Shakes earlier today - delicious! With this place and El Botellon moving in recently, this little neglected strip has already been somewhat transformed. Let's hope some of the neglected units there attract similar businesses.
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Where is cakes and shakes? I haven't seen that. I will definitely give El Botellon a go the next time we are out.
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Cakes and Shakes is the new place with bright blue signage further up on the east side of the High rd from El Botellon. It is a small chain or franchise (?) and has only just opened its doors after several weeks of works. I don't know if the signage meets design policy guidelines for the Conservation area which should not allow back lit plastic!
This is a parade of shops opposite CHENEL, and next to Tottenham Green, that has had quite a few of its units empty for some years! They knocked down a pub (yes!!!!) and older buildings in the conservation area, to make way for this non-descript block of flats. See more on our disappearing pubs here.
http://tottenham-summerhillroad.com/old_pubs_of_tottenham.htm
I haven't been there yet. Lets hope it provides good products and service which our area needs. Hopefully they won't clutter the shopfront with trash postings like many of the shops in the area. It is good that another of those units has been opened bringing more activity to the area. One of the shops next door sells lovely african cloth but recently sublet to a counter selling electronic items you find everywhere. This is fine if it weren't that they've just completly "brought down" the standard for the frontages on this modern parade with all the crap they put their window display.
The store/grocery on the corner of the parade was made to alter their signage retrospectively to conform a bit more to the shopfront guidelines that you can find on Haringey's website. These are quite specific and in theory should mean we get quality shop fronts in the Tottenahm. However the council is LAX and allows loads of retrospective crap.
Look at this for the shops next to Costa at 261 High Rd.
http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/Applica...
There is now a retrospective application to keep the crap frontages that DO NOT conform to the original planning permission granted! See here...
http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/Applica....
So we get new crap replacing old crap . It is a story repeated up and down Tottenham unfortunately.
The old Botany Bay pub on the corner of Philip Lane and Lawrence rd, now a quite a good Turkish grocery is another case in point.
What has our council been doing about getting this illegal shop destruction restored?
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I've only just seen this. You ratbag. Try coming over here in 2007 when it was more than three dollars to the pound! Outrageous whining. No wonder you have to say you're a New Zealander, anyone would think you're Australian.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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I moved here in 2007 and I don't recall the exchange rate being that bad!
Thank goodness for it being better now anyway. I was able to transfer some money in January at a very good rate. And I've just had an offer accepted on a flat near Seven Sisters. Finally putting down roots! And this forum has helped me to get quite excited about the area.
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We need help! Apparently someone in Haringey Council has described Tottenham as a war zone! Maybe it is because it is being invaded by commercial signage. As steps are taken forward (e.g Bruce Grove Railway bridge) many, many more steps are being taken backwards. Over many months but at an accelerating pace, over 30 shops in Tottenham have erected new signage. Almost all of this signage was crude, overwhelming advertising for either Lebara or Lycamobile phone services and for Western Union money services. Apart from the shops along West Green road the other shops are all in the conservation areas included in the Tottenham Historic Corridor!
Tottenham's Historic Corridor is being steadily undermined by unsympathetic alterations and piecemeal development destroying the historic fabric of the area. It is an EXISTING (i.e. doesn't need new building) significant asset that could be exploited in the ongoing efforts to improve the livelihoods of people who live here.
See the evidence here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjwilliam/sets/72157645221406988/
Why is this being allowed to happen? Why are the shop owners actually helping to drive the area down even more by increasing negative perception through this awful proliferation of advertising disguising itself as shop signage? In Leytonstone, the High rd now makes the place look like a nice area to live in - perception is important! The actual shops haven't changed, just their signage. Along the High Rd in Tottenham the place is getting worse by the day. Radical measures are needed to remedy this and the way to do this is through a massive boost to the council services like frontline operatives, social services, planning enforcement officers, etc. to counter the effects of economic deprivation in the short run while the larger capital investment takes the 20 years it will take to kick in. Present residents and businesses need help, support and guidance NOW! If it is a war zone then bring in the cavalry!
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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We don't know why our area was described as a "War Zone" by a senior officer on the bus tour for new councillors. Initially I was angry and offended. But on reflection I am now simply curious. In a few days I'll be writing to ask what was in her mind when she made that remark.
But, JJ, though I try not to make any assumptions, I very much doubt whether it had anything to do with the signage on shopfronts or display in the windows or inside the stores.
If you have a couple of hours, JJ, perhaps, you'd agree to join me and a couple of other locals on a stroll along part of the High Road. We can compare our perceptions and tastes, and ask some of the traders.
As a footnote, HoL members may not know that after the Tottenham riot in 2011, Business in the Community seconded Kay Horne - a bright, knowledgeable store manager from Sainsbury's in Waltham Cross as a "Business Connector". Kay poured her apparently endless enthusiasm and energy into the job of helping get businesses back up and running. Most importantly this included businesses talking and learning from one another.
As far as I know, Haringey didn't do one important thing they could and should have done - to make a full and careful record of Kay's work and the learning which arose from it.
Sadly, that's NFH.
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Apologies. I'm now reliably told that Lyn Garner did not use the term on the bus tour but in the gathering of LibDem and Labour councillors who went on the tour. I haven't yet written to her as I'm told she is currently on holiday.
Jean-Jacques, your link to the gallery of Walthamstow shopfronts is great. Similar work was done in parts of Tottenham High Road using a combination of mainly external funding. One of the buildings refurbished was Windsor Parade which won Haringey an award. As I recall the inspiration for doing it came from a visit paid by Haringey staff to Wood Grange Road, Newham.
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Where did Haringey lose the plot? Sinice he regenrartion efforts have started their haev been improvemenets to individual areas liethe Green and plans ongoing for the Holcombe market but generally shops frontages have been getting worse through the spending that shop keepers ARE DOING!
One prominent shop on the High Rd in Bruce Grove has actually ripped out the canvas awning because it was damaged by winds and they have now applied for retrospective planning permission saying that they had to quickly install a metal replacement with all that it implied in terms of installation process. It is poorly executed, hangs over the public highway, is not in keeping with shopfront guidelines and certainly not with conswervation area ones. The usual cock and bull stories abound. My heart sinks at the continuous loss of the traditional shop fronts. I am in no way stuck on twee shop fronts only. It's just that people talk about how the place LOOKS. And it influences their perceptions especially when they don't know the area. It is no sense building new places only to end up with the same crap shop fronts!
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