Haringey Council to Rebrand Haringey Shopping Districts

News is filtering out to us that Haringey Council is contemplating a neighbourhood rebrand across all shopping districts in the borough.

For the past decade or so Haringey Council has been trialling a rebrand of Harringay neighbourhood by encouraging the use of a range of names including Green Lanes and Harringay Green Lanes in addition to Harringay. What lies behind this move has been till now a mystery. It seems that at long last, however, some light is to be cast on the murky depths of this strange policy.

We've heard rumours that this approach is to be extended across the borough to give each shopping district three names. Here's what we know so far of the Council's so called 'Metropolitan Shopping District Tri-Naming' policy:

Muswell Hill - henceforth to be known as either Broadway; Muswell Hill Broadway or sometimes Muswell Hill

Crouch End - henceforth to be known as either Broadway; Crouch End Broadway or sometimes Crouch End

Wood Green - henceforth to be known as either High Road; Wood Green High Road or sometimes Wood Green

Harringay - the Council will stick to their policy of using either Green Lanes; Harringay Green Lanes or sometimes Harringay

West Green - henceforth to be known as either West Green Road; West Green Road West Green or sometimes West Green

Tottenham - henceforth to be known as either High Road; Tottenham High Road or sometimes Tottenham

A council spokesperson commented, "We're aware of the issue of confusion, but we think we're managing that in Green Lanes....that is Harringay Green Lanes....I mean Harringay. So we think the time is ripe to roll out this approach and benefit from it in all parts of the borough."

"We think that if people aren't sure where they're shopping, then trade will be spread more evenly across the borough's shopping centres. There's real potential here for mutual branding between Broadway and Broadway, for example and High Road and High Road. That is....I mean between Crouch End Broadway...that is Crouch End and Muswell Hill Broadway, that's Muswell Hill."

"Within ten years we hope to have the same flexibility of neighbourhood names that we've given to Green Lanes.....that is Harringay Green Lanes....I mean Harringay.

The spokesperson refused to be drawn on whether they felt there were any political motivations behind this move, but they did tell us, "We're in discussions with neighbouring boroughs too. We've trialled our 'Multi-Borough Metropolitan Shopping District Tri-Naming' approach for Green Lanes.....that is Harringay Green Lanes....I mean Harringay, with Hackney and Enfield boroughs."

"Hackney has agreed to rename Newington Green as Green Lanes, Newington Green Green Lanes and Newington Green. Whilst Enfield are changing Palmers Green to Green Lanes, Palmer's Green Green Lanes and Palmer's Green.  The three Green Lanes districts should really boost the economies of all three districts, we feel.

"A branding agency is working up a campaign for us with the strapline 'The Greenical Mystery Tour'. It's a winner. We're also talking about developing new summer foods to support the campaign. My favourite is a pistacho floured desert called 'Ice Green'.

Apparently a  cross borough committee will report on findings towards the end of 2013.

Goodness - who'd have believed it!