Harringay traders seek to hold back parking charge rise for customers

Harringay Traders are concerned about proposed increases in parking charges for their customers. They have just sent the following email to Cllr. Canver, Councillor for St Ann's ward (The Gardens and the areas to the north and east of there) and cabinet member responsible for parking charges.

Dear Cllr Canver,

We write on behalf of the Harringay Green Lanes Traders Association, representing nearly 200 shops along Green Lanes.

We have now received extensive and comprehensive feedback from our shop-to-shop canvass with shop owners and members of the general public. We strongly urge the Council to re-considered Harringay Green Lanes to remain in the Mid band for parking charges. Below are the main points we would like to make concerning the impact this will have on Green Lanes high street:

1. Small businesses are disadvantaged by the larger companies. Every Sainsburys, Tescos, B&Q, Homebase etc has their own car parking facilities, whilst the high street business rely on the limited Council controlled parking bays. By increasing this cost, you are effectively supporting the larger companies than the local shops. This will have a huge adverse impact to local high street.

    

2. At a time of rising costs in fuel, business rates, VAT, and national insurance, a 114% rise in parking charge seem unbelieveable, unfair and unjust.

    

3. Green Lanes is not like Crouch end or Muswell Hill. A simple breakfast with coffee at Café Lemon is just under £5, whereas a similar meal in Muswell Hill is nearly £10. The demographics of Green Lanes shoppers are much more akin to Tottenham than Muswell Hill.

    

4. Existing customers can find alternative shopping centres like Tottenham High Road and Angel Edmonton (Fore Street) for the Turkish/Kurdish food groceries and restaurants, and Arena Shopping park where parking is completely free. The Arena management has put up signs - that their carpark is only available to Arena shoppers.

    

5. We note that Muswell Hill and Crouch end do have alternative parking facilities on adjoining roads, whereas Green Lanes is completely surrounded by all day CPZ.

    

6. This scheme is unfriendly to the Retail trade and will drive away retail businesses and instead attract more restaurants and takeaways because parking becomes free after 7pm, and no CPZ after 6.30pm.

    

7. Wood Green should have a banding on their own, rather than the rest of the town-centres joining them. Wood Green is a major north London shopping centre with large household named shops and with well equipped NPC car parks and transport links.

We feel that this increase not only damage local trade, but could also reduce Council income when the shoppers are scared away. We fully support the increase to parking charges in the Mid band. But we object to being moved to the Higher band like Wood Green when we are NOT like Wood Green.

We would welcome any feedback or facilitate any meeting concerning this.

Yours sincerely,


Mr Shefik Mehmet
Mr Rob Chau
Harringay Traders Assoc