Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

HMOs strike again... this time it's war

  Harringay Gardens is a small cul-de-sac with 17 houses, at the Turnpike Lane end of Green Lanes.  Towards the Green Lanes end of this road, built into the back garden of a large house that fronts onto Green Lanes, was an old dental surgery, unoccupied for years.  The dental surgery(basically a one storey prefab) has a front door that opens straight on to the pavement in Harringay Gardens. It has no garden, back or front.  A few months ago, the building was sold and suddenly there was a lot of building activity in the dental surgery, sometimes going on well into the evening and near neighbours were complaining about the noise, contacting the council.  Residents discovered that the dental surgery was being turned into five bedsits with NO PLANNING PERMISSION.

    Residents sent in a jointly signed letter, asking the council to put a stop to this illegal conversion, and raising health and safety concerns about the number of people who would be living there, in this back extension and pointing out there was nowhere to put refuse.  The planning department sent somebody round who confirmed there was no permission and said something would be done about it -- no timescale of course.

     After a few weeks, building work stopped, only because it had been completed.  The next thing we knew was that tenants had clearly moved in.  Then about 10 days ago, a resident who lives close to this conversion complained to the council about street rubbish. They said WOULD the person BE WILLING TO ALLOW AN EXTRA BIN  IN THEIR FRONT GARDEN [ie.FOR THESE NEW TENANTS] The man across the street, was also asked.   

NO THEY WOULD NOT BE WILLING TO HAVE OTHER PEOPLE'S REFUSE FROM AN ILLEGAL CONVERSION FOR FIVE PEOPLE TO BE PLACED IN THEIR PRIVATE FRONT GARDENS.

     Today, I came home from work to find heaps of shopping bags of rubbish tied at the top and black bin bags, some gutted by foxes and strewn about, next to two trees on the opposite side to the front door of the old dental surgery.  Also, the single bin at the front of the vets opposite this property (normally little used) is also full and overflowing.  I wonder where all this came from?

    Residents in this quiet residential street are very angry and frustrated that this has been allowed to carry on and the council is apparently doing nothing to put a stop to it.

     Our MP David Lammy's office has been contacted.

 SECONDLY, another conversion at No 8 (also illegal) has apparently opened up a hairdressers in this small residential street.  Equipment was seen being brought in and since then over the last few days women seem to be sitting under those big hairdryers with their hair in rollers(in the front room) and then standing outside sometimes smoking.  There is a lot of activity there today.  A further illegal HMO is at No 13.  That is subject to enforcement proceedings due to residents' complaints.

Tags for Forum Posts: hmo, hmos

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Permalink Reply by Alison P on April 13, 2011 at 21:52
What a nightmare, I really feel for you. I just wanted  to echo what others have said about getting David Lammy or a local councillor involved. There was a lot of effort going into looking at HMOs by Lammy's staff but I am not sure where that has got to yet, or whether there are any more general lessons to learn. Keep at it and write everything down.

I fumed just reading your post, good luck.
Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on April 13, 2011 at 23:25
Thanks for the yours and others 'I share your pain, you are not alone' stuff.  Appreciated.  Meanwhile....
Permalink Reply by maggie on April 13, 2011 at 23:08
....and keep taking photos of everything, rubbish, bins etc etc.
Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on April 13, 2011 at 23:26
Funny you shoud mention that - have taken some and am adding them on to this discussion.
Permalink Reply by pamish on April 14, 2011 at 1:54

It seems comrade Eric Pickles may be your saviour. He's promising tough action on retrospective planning permissions. There is a bit in this story in the Torygraph today, from the Pickles Random Story Generator (gypsies/ royals/ maydays). This could be the good thing to come out of this era.

 

Maybe invite him down? If LBH can't manage it, send in Pickles the Steamroller.

 

And good grief, looking at your photo, pity the poor buggers who live there if they have carved seven dwellings out of that prefab.

Permalink Reply by John D on April 14, 2011 at 6:12

Saphire - you could write a letter to the Telegraph on the lines of your original post ( maybe deleting references to "odious little man" and "foreign workers " which give the wrong impression.

If they take it up it may galvanise Haringey Council, which was stung into replying in detail to the recent Gilligan expose in the Telegraph on budget allocations.

Permalink Reply by rebelrebel on April 14, 2011 at 8:49
Isn't there a local HMO Working Group looking at issues like this in Harringay Ward?  I remember reading something about HMO owners being required to be licensed to operate them.  I also remember the name of the lead person from the Council on this - Steve Russell in Environmental Health.  If you haven't already contacted him, I suggest that you do as he appears to be very knowledgable.
Permalink Reply by Hugh on April 14, 2011 at 9:00
Yes - see my link on previous page.
Permalink Reply by Alice Mezzo on April 15, 2011 at 9:48
Good luck with this tough and frustrating battle. Just know that ordinary residents who want a peaceful, happy neighbourhood are behind you!
Permalink Reply by Anette on April 16, 2011 at 16:31
Christ! My blood's boiling after reading this. Good luck, keep it up, and feel free to vent here when you get frustrated, we're all supporting you!
Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on April 18, 2011 at 16:33
And last night the noise control were called by some of my neighbours as No 8 having a loud and late party (again apparently).
Permalink Reply by Anette on April 18, 2011 at 21:54
It's so unfair. Completely ruins your home and peace of mind. I wish they'd lock these landlords and builders up. In a cage. In a public place. And then give the rest of us some sharp sticks..

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