Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local News 2009
LOCAL NEWS UPDATE
The stories presented on this page aim to cover ONLY those of immediate local interest to Harringay. Stories of broader, borough-wide, local interest are, in the main, not covered unless they have particular interest to the main immediate local area.
Latest Update - 16th April, 2009
Future of Harringay 'will be shaped by residents'
Haringey Independent, Thursday 16th April 2009
People will be able to voice their vision on the future of Harringay at a consultation event on Tuesday evening.
Haringey Council will meet with the community at the Cyprus Kitchen in Green Lanes for a series of workshops and will also take testimonials in a secret video-diary booth.
The views will be used to compile a charter for the Harringay Green Lanes area.
It will build upon the work of the Green Lanes strategy group - made up of residents and businesses - over the past five years.
Councillor Nilgun Canver, chairman of the Green Lanes strategy group, said: "We want to ensure people and traders are at the heart of decision-making for their area.
"I hope the charter will inspire more people to get involved in their community. I’d strongly encourage people to give their views during the consultation".
Mystery celebrities and children's entertainers will also attend the event.
Plans for a proposed Green Lanes street festival in September, when the charter is launched, will also be discussed.
School Governor Demands Safer Crossing Point
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 15 April 2009
SAFETY fears: Adam Coffman (right) with Joanne McCartney and Paul McKay of Living Streets Haringey want a zebra crossing installed outside the school
Anxious campaigners are calling for a zebra crossing outside a primary school in a bid to stop drivers speeding past.
Joanne McCartney, London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, met residents outside North Harringay Primary School in Falkland Road, Harringay, to discuss the problem.
At present the road has been narrowed outside the school with a raised speed table to slow cars.
But Adam Coffman, governor of North Harringay Primary School, said: "Pedestrians are obscured because the crossing is too wide.
"Drivers don't see them until they are very close to the crossing and, by then, are routinely driving at a speed where they do not want to slow down and they do not have to physically slow down as the upward ramp on the raised table is too shallow."
He also claimed the bins on either side of the road obscure small children waiting to cross.
Mr Coffman demanded the crossing width is reduced, parking spaces are removed and the bins are taken away.
A Haringey Council spokeswoman said: "Firstly, if the school has safety concerns about the siting of any bins they should contact us immediately.
"Secondly, we don't use zebra crossings as such, but if a crossing is part of the school's travel plan we will look at this proposal and, if necessary, how funding might be acquired."
Nearby South Harringay Junior School in Mattison Road is also backing calls from parents to install a third zebra crossing in Wightman Road.
Acting headteacher Lilia Mitchev said: "Wightman Road has become an insurmountable barrier for people wanting to cross and that is certainly something that should be looked at."
The call follows a heated special assembly meeting last month between residents with council bosses on the traffic problems in Green Lanes and neighbouring streets.
Crash Victim Improves
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 08 April 2009
A 40-year-old woman knocked down by a car in a traffic blackspot in Green Lanes, Harringay, is now recovering in hospital. The victim was in a coma for about three weeks after the accident near Roseberry Gardens on March 12, which happened hours after 70-year-old Giovanni Fetta was killed crossing the same road. She was taken out of intensive care and is said to be in a stable condition.
Enthusiasm grows for street festival
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 1st April, 2009
A STREET festival looks set to be given the green light as campaigners gear up for a fun-filled party to boast Harringay's standing as a dynamic visitor destination.Residents eager to transform Green Lanes into a buzzing platform for artists, musicians and world cuisines are hopeful their plans will be approved after a meeting with Haringey Council officials later this month.
Hugh Flouch, founder of community website Harringay Online, said: "Harringay is bursting with creative energy and I would love to showcase that. Green Lanes is known for certain things, good and bad, but we are much more than that."
If plans go ahead, Green Lanes would be closed between 7am and 7pm - from the junction with Salisbury Road to the railway bridge near Umfreville Road - on a date provisionally set for September 20.
Haringey Council has agreed in principle to go ahead with the plans but Transport for London (TfL) has the final say on whether it supports the street closure.
A meeting with the Green Lanes Strategy Group will be held on Thursday, April 16, when more detailed plans will be decided.
"We are trying to drive some enthusiasm for the plans," said Mr Flouch. "Everybody is very supportive, including TfL - and they are the key people.
"It seems everybody is making the right noises and it all should be possible but the meeting will tell us whether it is a goer or not."
A survey carried out in January revealed residents were keen to show off the diverse food and history the area has to offer. A council spokeswoman said: "It's a bit too early to say anything just yet because we have to get a few more things locked in.
"We will be having a meeting in mid April where we will discuss the plans in more depth.
Pensioner's Death Brings New Call for Danger Road Action
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 19 March 2009
The death of a pensioner crushed under the wheels of a lorry on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road has re-ignited safety fears.
Residents are demanding road safety is urgently improved in Green Lanes after Italian-born Giovanni Fetta was hit by a lorry at about 11.15am last Wednesday and died at the scene.
The 70-year-old father of two, of Hermitage Road, Harringay, was crossing at traffic lights in Green Lanes near the junction with Warham Road on the Ladder.His tragic death came just days ahead of a crunch meeting on road safety, called for by residents.
Adam Coffman, of national cycling group CTC and chairman of the Fairfax Road Residents' Association, said: "What exactly do the council intend to do to make things safer? Three people have been killed on that road in the last three years - how many more?" He added: "A report came out in mid-2007 and so far nothing has been implemented to make things safer for pedestrians and cyclists as far as I'm aware."
Lilia Mitchev, headteacher of South Harringay Junior School in nearby Mattison Road, said: "I would find it hard to encourage the kids to cycle because people can drive along Green Lanes in such an unsafe way. "The road is a main highway and incredibly busy - especially at the beginning and end of the school day with people trying to park when it can get dangerous." She suggested more zebra crossings would help slow down the traffic as well as encouraging more people not to drive unnecessarily.
A special meeting to discuss road safety issues with representatives from Transport for London, Arriva buses, local police and the London Cycle Campaign will be held at 7.30pm on Monday, March 23, at the Cyprus Kitchen, 628-30 Green Lanes - formerly known as the Turkish Cypriot Community Association.
An inquest into Mr Fetta's death was opened on Monday at Hornsey Coroner's Court and adjourned until Wednesday, September 30. A post mortem examination showed he died of multiple injuries.
Mr Fatta was the fourth pedestrian to die in a collision in Green Lanes since 2005. The other victims, including a three-year-old boy, were killed by buses.
Two were killed by moving buses between Williamson Road and St Ann's Road while the toddler was crushed under the Route 341 bus near Kimberley Gardens in 2005.
A Green Lanes accident study from 2003-06 revealed the majority of accidents occurred in the main shopping parade between Williamson Road and Allison Road.
A Haringey Council spokesman said: "We will be discussing this with the police as a matter of urgency, as we always do when there is a fatal accident. On the agenda will be the need for improved safety measures in the Green Lanes area.
Shoppers urged to ditch plastic bags
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 11 February 2009
A community group is hoping to rid the area of plastic bags and replace them with new canvas bags.
They hope to introduce the new environmentally friendly bags to Harringay and have released several initial designs.
Millions of plastic bags are used every day across the UK, which has a large impact on the environment.
Steve Burdekin, of the Harringay Online Sustainability Group and the bags' designer, said: "Green Lanes is great for shopping, but there are too many plastic bags.
"We want to get rid of them, but also get across the message to shop in Harringay. We want them large and durable."
Sustainable bags are not a new idea in Haringey, with the Crouch End Bag for Life introduced in December 2007.
Clare Richmond, organiser of the Crouch End Projects, said: "They've been very successful. The first 5,000 sold out in a month. They've made a difference. It's noticeable how many people are choosing not to use plastic bags."
Mr Burdekin and his colleagues on the Harringay Online Sustainability Group hope to build relations with traders and community groups so that the shops will offer the sustainable bags as alternatives.
Shafik Mehmet, chairman of the Green Lanes Traders' Association, said: "I haven't yet seen the plans though, but I would definitely support it.
24-hour gaming centre 'will ruin community'
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 28 January 2009
A bid to keep a gaming centre open round the clock was branded by outraged protesters as a "shameless exploitation" of gamblers.
Residents demanded Haringey Council throw out plans by Agora in Grand Parade, Green Lanes to change its 9am-11pm daily opening hours to 24-hours-a-day Monday to Saturday and 9am-11pm on Sunday.
One objector of nearby Rutland Gardens, who did not want to be named, told a Haringey Council planning committee meeting at Wood Green Civic Centre: "Late-night supermarkets do not attract drunken idiots or gangsters - adult gaming centres do.
"Unless the plan is to make Harringay a miserable dump, councillors may care to visit if they want to see what effect all-night opening and slot-machine mayhem can have on a community."
Ian Sygrave, chairman of the Harringay Ladder Community Safety Partnership, added: "Residents have walked past and seen it open as late as two or three o'clock in the morning. Planning enforcement has the right to haul them up for quite blatantly breaking their terms."
Campaigner Mario Petrou, of Salisbury Road, added: "They make it more likely that the most vulnerable people in our community will waste their money and are determined to turn Haringey's Green Lanes into Las Vegas."
Agora said it wanted to stay in line with at least nine other businesses which work similar late-night opening hours and has vowed to boost staff numbers from four to six.
The council is set to make a decision on the plans in the next few weeks. A Haringey Council spokesman said: "We are aware that there have been problems reported with Agora. We are investigating and will take appropriate action if necessary.
School rated 'outstanding'
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 21 January 2009
A primary school has received a rave report from inspectors who praised the "outstanding" education.
South Harringay Infant and Nursery School in Pemberton Road, Harringay, was also commended for its substantial contribution to the local community in the report by education watchdog Ofsted.
The school, where nearly three quarters of children do not speak English as a first language and almost all come from ethnic minorities, received the highest grade of "outstanding" overall.
The report said: "The keys to the school's great success are its excellent leadership and management.
"The school is highly inclusive because it works so hard to provide excellent opportunities for all."
In a letter to pupils, inspectors also said headteacher Tinka Rojas and her team "cared deeply" about pupils and ensured school was a "smashing place to come to every day".
The school teaches 249 pupils of both sexes aged three to seven and the curriculum was praised as "highly stimulating" and children said to be "exceptionally well cared for".
The drive to raise standards had its greatest impact in years 1 and 2 where pupils make excellent progress in literacy and numeracy, inspectors said.
Fury over 'ghost stations'
Hornsey & Crouch End Journal,15 January 2009
Plans to slash staff numbers at three secluded railway stations have been branded "diabolical" amid fears for passengers' safety.
Train firm First Capital Connect (FCC) announced it will cut ticket office opening times by an average of nearly four hours a day across 28 stations including Harringay, Hornsey and Alexandra Palace.
But outraged critics claim cutting staff during weekends and week nights will hit vulnerable passengers the hardest, after a spate of attacks in the last year.
Ian Sygrave, chairman of the Harringay Ladder Community Safety Partnership, said: "It's extremely unwelcome because we have had a number of particularly nasty attacks in these stations.
"CCTV is no comfort when you're being mugged. The biggest issue is the vulnerability of people when they're cut off from the outside world down several flights of steps."
One man returning from his birthday party was stabbed in the back and robbed at knifepoint on the stairs of Harringay station six months ago.
Similar attacks were reported at Hornsey and Alexandra Palace stations, including a gang with a dog targeting lone passengers, said Mr Sygrave.
Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: "The plans are absolutely diabolical. One of the key issues is people stopping using trains after dark because they are too scared.
"We're still campaigning to get Oyster Pay As You Go machines at these stations as it is and they still haven't said when they will arrive. But people aren't going to be buying more tickets if these plans go ahead."
Gordon Hickie, of the Stroud Green Residents' Association, added: "There have been a number of problems at these stations. Any reduction in staff is not to be welcomed at all."
An FCC spokesman blamed the economic crisis for the scale-back adding ticket machines were fast becoming the "preferred option" for customers.
Councillor Nilgun Canver, Haringye Council's cabinet member for safer communities and enforcement, said: "We would be very concerned if there were any reduction in staffing at our stations. Having staff in place contributes greatly to community safety and station security.
"If Haringey is affected we will make every effort to prevent this from happening."
Objectors have until February 3, to voice their concerns.
A spokesman for First Capital Connect said: "The rail industry has changed drastically in the past 10 years. I would emphasise that any changes will see all ticket offices remain open at the peak hours of ticket buying.
"Safety concerns have absolutely been considered. All three stations have been accredited as Secure Stations meaning they have the highest levels of security laid out by the British Transport Police."
Current staffing hours at Alexandra Palace are from 6.15am-8pm Monday to Saturday and 8.15am-5.30pm on Sunday.
Hornsey and Harringay ticket desks are open from 6.20am to 2.45pm and 2.15pm respectively Monday to Friday, 7.20am-3.15pm on Saturday and are closed on Sunday.
The commuter service runs between Moorgate in London and Hertford North or Welwyn Garden City.
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