Finsbury Park: path repair or lava flow?

A 180° panorama from the foot of the active volcano, Mt. Wirelesstage, showing lava flows (click to enlarge)

NEAR the southern end of Finsbury Park there's a set of inner paths in a Y-shape. The way in which they were repaired in early June – just before Wireless 2015 – says much about Haringey Council's current attitude to our park. 

Along with most other pathways, these were refurbished in 2003 with the aid of a £3,384,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It's important to remember that the finish of the paths was a light beige with pebbles (still visible in many places) and as with all Lottery Fund grants, it would have come with conditions.

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The HLF grant was a big step forward and it was strongly helped by The Friends of Finsbury Park. This real, broad improvement followed years of neglect and disregard by the park's owner, who sees the park as much on its periphery.

Some of the sorry history of our Park is described in Rising from the Ashes (2005)

The Council is under no statutory obligation to maintain parks. Their current disdain for them is at times, barely disguised. Thus, we've heard Cabinet Members using phrases like "the parks have never paid their way" and, "we've considered privatising them". The parks – and especially Finsbury Park – are unloved by the Local Authority. Unfortunately our Park seems to be entering a new and different phase of decline.

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Since the Council Cabinet's Major Events policy (2013), Live Nation's main "Wireless" stage regularly sits just north of the intersection of the 'Y'. These paths are used for heavy-duty access and were gouged by construction traffic during Wireless 2014.

They remained in a gouged state for 11 months. Finally, they were repaired in time for Wireless 2015 – just a week or two beforehand.

Unlike in several other places, the Council's work here largely stood up to the wear and tear of Wireless 2015. The heavy-duty, industrial-strength surface has suffered little, in contrast to the bruised intentions of the Lottery-Funded work. 

The tar seal is remarkably thick. And much of the roadway is wide enough to allow two-way (construction) traffic. The dimensions would do credit to an intersection on a rural 'B' road.

Though thick and wide – and at variance from the original – the wodge of tar is also relatively neat compared with the recent black sticking-plaster patches on other pebbled paths.

The appearance of the heavy-duty surfaces reminded me of lava flow that can sometimes be seen on the 'Big Island' of Hawaii.

The timing and nature of this work begs the question: for whose benefit are any repairs in the 'park' being carried out: for residents or mainly for the Council's customer, Live Nation?

CDC
Haringey Counclllor
Liberal Democrat Party

Attentive Council contractors meticulously re-laying Finsbury Park pathways

A judicious application of fresh bitumen is painstakingly guided over paths damaged during LiveNation's Wireless 2014

The re-sealing in full swing, just behind the Wireless stage (out of picture, but to the left of contractor in hi-vis jacket)

Council asphalt cooling down; note the fastidious care taken along the grass verge

Temperatures inside molten lava can sometimes reach as high as those found in a Finsbury Park Event Stakeholder Group meeting

Looking east across lava field (thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey)

A veritable lake of lava (view north towards the Kona coast)

Lava streaming south to the Pacific coast. It's come from explosive forces, deep under the surface

Flowing beneath Pacific gulls, a red-hot river of lava bifurcates in front of scorched earth (looking south-east)

Scorched earth. Red-hot lava is no respecter of any kind of crop

Thick liquid rock, cooling and solidifying. Note height of side-wall of the main flow

Coin leaning against side of liquid, igneous rock

Close-up: Hawaii Five-0 — a 50¢ piece alongside lava flow

Two-tone tar  (examples of lava mis-match abound)

Widening of the dual carriageway