Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Bye bye Frobisher bench

I've just received (at 5:35pm today) notice from the council that the Frobisher bench must be removed within 48 hours.

Sadly despite our trying they have refused to engage in any meaningful discussion on what we could do to keep it there. Some kudos to John Forde who was tasked with the job of phoning to deliver the news, he didn't sound like it was his favorite job for the week.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on July 22, 2014 at 19:39

I think you'll find that Cllr The Other One was the driver behind getting it removed, judging by the meeting we had with her.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on July 22, 2014 at 20:14

So it would appear.

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Permalink Reply by ant on July 22, 2014 at 22:24

I'm not sure thats right, but its a bit hard to tell outside of whispers and rumour. As Liz says we had a meeting at the bench a while back with Gina, Ian Sygrave and Tony Kennedy. It was a quite hostile with some finger wagging and raised voices about how we can't just go putting benches on the footpath without asking first. After Gina and Ian left we had a long talk with Tony and he seemed ok and friendly to help us do things in the neighborhood, and then afterwards nothing happened for a couple of months so I wondered if Tony was just trying to see if it would all just get forgotten, but now its all blown up again all off a sudden. I wonder has someone been moaning at Tony to get it gone. Cllr Emine has been quite supportive from the beginning and is trying to find out what has prompted this 48 hour notice all of a sudden. Maybe an FOI request to see what communications about the bench council officers have would be interesting?

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on July 22, 2014 at 19:33

I'm not one for knocking the Council at any opportunity, but I must say this seems like an absolute nonsense. Given the placing of benches along Green Lanes where there's much less room, together with the dangerous cycle stands, it seems bonkers to insist on the removal of this one bench which offers no obstruction.

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Permalink Reply by james walsh on July 22, 2014 at 19:45

Perhaps haringey are worried that they'll lose income from what they charge for 'rememberance benches' If folk simply donate a bench to the street. Either way i agree with Hugh this is clearly spiteful and mean for no apparent reason.

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Permalink Reply by ant on July 22, 2014 at 22:33

Completely agree about the cycle stands Hugh and have given exactly that example to the council and have been ignored. They acknowledge that the new cycle stands on Green Lanes are not fit for purpose, are dangerous, and need to be replaced, and they say they will replace them at some point in the future. The difference between the dozens of dangerous cycle stands all over the place and the single Frobisher bench neatly tucked out of harms way by a wall which we'd modify in any way necessary if they'd only tell us how, is that we must remove the bench within 48 hours.

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Permalink Reply by HarringayBirder on July 23, 2014 at 0:17

Again - what power did they say they were using in issuing this order?
I am trying to help.

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Permalink Reply by ant on July 23, 2014 at 8:55

HB, i've gone back through emails and they haven't really explained. The closest is "permission had not be sought for the bench to be placed on the public highway". Whatever the law is i agree with Hugh's comment that it would be more community focused if they now looked for a way to find retrospective permission instead of this mean spirited officious apporach.