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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Breaking news - Cllrs Kober and Goldberg don't like ugly slabby building design

The news we have been waiting for - at last a dip into the taste of the Dear Leader and her Beloved Follower.

They both object, as Seven Sisters councillors, to the development at Plevna Crescent/Ermine Road: 158 dwellings on the railway embankment, a planning application I flagged up last month. See comment numbers 28 and 29 here.

http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/Applica...

NB Cllr Kober - "The scheme design is not sufficiently ambitious and does not reflect the Council’s aim of delivering high quality development in Tottenham. Architecturally the scheme is uninspiring and the proposed elevations leave me concerned about mass and bulk."

I am left wondering what 'not sufficiently ambitious' means, it must be not high enough. Add five more storeys Mr Jechiel Smaya Weiser aka Gate of Eden Ltd, and LBH will come to you with a £1.5million sweetener. Probably.

Tags for Forum Posts: N15, corridor, development, green, railway

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Interesting. Kober, Goldberg etc have no such objections to the huge, hideous Heartlands development in west of borough. In fact, in face of much local objection their planning buddies passed application wholeheartedly. Seems they only "care" about politically useful and newsworthy Tottenham. As usual.

not sufficiently ambitious

Well spotted Pam. This could apply to a number of recent proposals, including Grainger's off-the shelf, 1980s aspiration for Wards Corner.

But I remember thinking at the time, that the large Arena Shopping "Park" was mediocre and that the council's planning committee might have insisted on something more imaginative. Residents continue to have to look at this construction, with its brick-facade-on-warehouse appearance.

I say nothing about the thought that went into the road layout, previously discussed. Should the Planning Department not be put into Special Measures?

Attachments:

The huge wall on the high street opposite the end of Endymion is nasty (Homebase).

@ Clive, I believe the Arena would have been planned before the arrival of Cllrs K + G.  I'm intrigued why it needs a brochure now? (The pdf is dated September 2011)

I must stop getting intrigued, it makes me late for lunch.

I've never had any problem criticising what councillors Claire Kober and Joe Goldberg do or fail to do - when they are in the wrong. But as in this case, Pam, it seems not only are they right, but they are also objecting to a planning application you yourself oppose.

So why not make some positive comment?

Too often, ambitious politicians learn that the only time they get public attention is when they do something ill-judged, misguided, or downright stupid. Praise and reward should be used to teach good behaviour. Haven't you seen Supernanny?

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

Alan have you noticed that property developers often go for least-cost "solutions" and that this is frequently reflected in the ambition of their proposals?

Do you think it might be easier for Pam to praise the particular praiseworthy protestations, if they were not inconsistent? I know it was only a subtle hint, but do you not think that Pam might have been drawing attention to inconsistency and that  was the real point of her post?

Clive It's perfectly fair to draw attention to someone's apparent inconsistency.  But then why not simply ask them about it?

Dear Cllr Carpetbag,

I'm delighted you have joined with me and others in objecting to the proposed Aztec-style Temples. However I am puzzled as to why at the same time you are apparently enthusiastic about similar developments (a 22 storey Babylonian-style block of flats; and Roman-style Stadium Way) to be constructed near the new Spurs football ground.

I'd much appreciate an explanation.

Yours sincerely

A. Resident

Q1. "You were so keen to be on that panel..."  Untrue. I was phoned - probably by one of the whips - and asked to be a late substitute.

Q2. "... you even refused to stand down when it was suggested you had a conflict of interests".  Untrue. The lawyer who advised the Planning Committee advised that I had no conflict of interest. And nor did I. As far as I could see on the evening there were no material planning grounds for turning down the application. Had there been I would have turned it down.

Q3. I "claim to be the straight talking independent Cllr for the people."

Straight talking? I try. And I wish more councillors would do the same. But I'm not an independent. I'm a Labour Party member and have been for over 40 years. I've been secretary of my ward branches, and Tottenham Constituency Secretary. I do always try to think for myself.

I don't expect you to "buy" this either, Mr Will Hoyle Treasurer of Tottenham Conservatives & Tory Council candidate. But never mind, you can buy everything you need at the Tory/LibDem shop. They've a wide range of goodies and are even giving Haringey an advanced taste of their latest financial/Welfare "products".

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

Mr Hoyle, on this issue I wrongly assumed you might actually want to discover what happened, rather than to speculate.

In case anyone else is genuinely curious on the points you raise:

— I didn't have to be advised by a lawyer that I'd no conflict of interest. I knew that already. I had and have no personal interest or connections with Graingers, or other party to the Wards Corner planning application.

But following legal advice on planning issues is always a sound idea. Especially because it helps to protect the Council's interest. So, whatever my view, had the Council's lawyer disagreed I would have got up and left.

— The reason Labour and LibDem councillors substitute for councillors of their own party is because by law all councils must allocate seats on committees in accordance with the rules on proportionality - i.e. the numbers of the party groups. This enables the majority party to carry through Council business while protecting the rights of minority parties. 

This incidentally is one reason why I strongly oppose the usurpation and avoidance of properly constituted committees by Cllr Kober's "Commissions" and "Task Forces". The Cabinet may be a diseased shadow of the former committees, but at least its formal meetings are in public and the public have - as of right - access to the agendas, minutes and reports, and a record of who attends and the decisions made.

Claire Kober's illegitimate bodies are appointed by her, have no democratic mandate, and ignore the rules on proportionality. They meet in private; and their minutes, papers etc have needed a Freedom of Information Act Request before the public can even begin to find out what went on.

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

To make it clear, I am thrilled to be in agreement with Cllr Kober re building design principles, and I look forward to our being best friends in future. I'm sure she feels the same.

Pam, I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. Retraining council leaders who have got into bad company and learned bad habits is a long difficult process.

Can I suggest you read the advice pages on the Supernanny website. Especially the sections on potty training.

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