Dehumanising Harringay - another civic space bites the dusts

This morning's planning applications list brought a reminder about the partial demolition of St Ann's Police Station. 

Whilst in many ways the building standing on the corner of Hermitage Road and St Ann's Road is an unremarkable one, its passing ought to be noted. Firstly it's a part of our fast shrinking accessible civil society. This comes just a week after the news that Harringay's Post Office is likely to be closing soon and at a time when we are waiting a drastic reduction in the opening hours of our local libraries.

An article by Polly Toynbee I came across recently entitled Britain is Dehumanising had this to say:

The human face of the state is everywhere in retreat, no longer speaking to its citizens. HMRC has closed all its public counters, where people often came for help with paying their taxes. Libraries, that great fount of civic knowledge, are closing everywhere, occasionally replaced by well-meaning volunteers without the information people need on everything from benefit applications to local planning consultations. 

The demolition is also a harbinger of more dramatic change soon to hit our neighbourhood. The development of St Ann's Hospital site is a certainty. It's shape though is yet to be determined. 

One good bit of news in all this is that the shell of Victorian/Edwardian building will be retained, and only the newer parts behind the main building will be demolished.