Investment in Tottenham - Potential place to move to?

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Permalink Reply by pamish on September 10, 2013 at 23:20

It's not the whole coucil, it's the kabal of the Labour leadship. For reasons best known to themselves, they think that dem,

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Permalink Reply by pamish on September 10, 2013 at 23:38

[Eh? My post got et]

It's not the whole council, it's the kabal around the Labour leadship. For reasons best known to themselves, they think that demolishing big chunks of Tottenham and chucking up private flats is the answer to all our problems. They have done deals with big developers, handing them our land for building rabbit-hutch flats. Boris Johnson and his bessie mate Stuart Lipton are driving this, together with Harry Levy from Spurs who has played a blinder by getting actual cash for his expansion ideas. Not surprisingly there is resistance to all this.

If you're buying from existing housing stock this concerns you less. There are many roads of good Victorian and Edwardian houses that still sell for less than £1million. Bigger houses split into flats may come more within your budget.

Prices here are slightly less that round about, because of simple prejudice. If you buy in one of the more villagey areas, you can use that name and not even have to confess to living in Tottenham....

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Permalink Reply by JJ B on September 13, 2013 at 4:57

Haringey council has failed, extremely badly, in the past to ensure that the public realm has been maintained to a good standard. It performs poorly in planning enforcement despite the rich architectural heritage - Tottenham has so many conservation areas - that in other places would be an important asset. In Tottenham, the council, through incompetence, negligence or corruption, allows historic shops fronts to be replaced by cheap and nasty replacements and it is actively working with big developers to destroy whole communities in certain neighbourhoods and using that lovely word "regeneration" as the motive.

That said, there is a VERY strong sense of community here in Tottenham and despite the negative image that many portray about the place, many residents are very active in various community groups and activities that make it such a vibrant and attractive area to live in.
There is a battle between certain council-lead, ' slash and burn' 'regeneration' policies and people who just want to be respected and given better public services and demand the IMPROVEMENTS to service (not regeneration!) that are LONG OVERDUE! In fact, it would be great if the Council itself could be regenerated from top to toe in its attitude and the way it manages stuff.

But improvement is coming - the train line running north from Liverpool St to Enfield will be integrated into the TFL Overground from 2015 and that alone will drive a certain and a much-debated-about "gentrification". Also, certain schemes, where the council has been working WITH the communities, are moving forward with improvements to come in West Green rd, Tottenham Green (major overhaul starting this year) and Bruce Grove High Rd due to receive an overhaul. Etc...

So it is not all as bleak a picture as some make it out to be - and I am not the most positive person around! If only Haringey council could get its act together, they perform SO badly.
With the transport connections this place has, I think you could do much worse.
An ex-Clapham, Brixton, Brockley, Highbury resident who has settled and bought in Tottenham.

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Permalink Reply by Emma on September 13, 2013 at 9:17

Hi, I have lived in Tottenham for over 10 years now and love it! It's got great transport links and good local Turkish shops and restaurants that are cheap. and the shops sell good quality fruit and vegetables. The community is very multi cultural which is great however, comes with its problems with regards to where the Council spends its money. Tottenham is a poor area and one that pumps a lot into the local community to work towards reducing the vast health inequalities the area has to deal with. It is regenerating slowly which is debatable as to whether its a good or bad thing. I would out and proudly sell Tottenham as somewhere to buy and settle as a home to anyone. But don't expect it to be Highbury or Clapham because it isn't. In this world of property.....you get what you pay for, so if you are willing to invest in a deprived area then Tottenham I would say is a good bet and the community is welcoming! Also David Lammy the MP can't be that bad he has been in power for ever!!!!! And it's a Labour borough which I think is a very good thing. These are all things you need to consider. Hope it helps

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on September 13, 2013 at 9:39

Thanks for posting this.  I am also from NZ, although I have been in London considerably longer.  I am finally approaching a point (I hope) where I might be able to buy.  Currently I am thinking Walthamstow but I'll consider anywhere in my budget that has good transport links.

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Permalink Reply by kay on September 13, 2013 at 10:12

Hi I live in Tottenham Hale on a very quiet road and I am happy here. My 2 year old goes to a nursery situated in the local park and I have 22 minute journey to my central london workplace. The amenities are great and there are things to see and do if you make an effort ie Tottenham Marshes, Bruce Castle etc. I really like my neighbours which is more than can be said for other areas I lived in (including Westminster!). The high road can be a bit much sometimes in terms of noise,litter and sheer number of people if you are feeling a bit stressed but there's enough green areas to recover in. So ignore the snobbish views and all the bad publicity and go for it.

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Permalink Reply by Ilona Tofahrn on September 13, 2013 at 11:04

I moved from Dalston to Tottenham 5 years ago and live near Sherringham Avenue. I love it here.  Neighbours are really friendly and welcomed me to the road.  I've joined a choir and do Yoga around the corner.  Tottenham is more social and people are really friendly and the Antwerp Arm has applied to become a community pub.

The Tottenham Marshes are near if you are into running or cycling.  I feel that the place is more up and coming because people can't affort Dalston or Stokey and move further north.  Transport system is great with Victoria line and overground.

It is as you say a rough diamond and it needs people like you to polish it

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on September 13, 2013 at 17:35

We've lived in Holcombe Road for over twenty years. It's a few streets from where your great grandparents lived. Before that, we lived a couple of years just off Bruce Grove. And earlier still, a few years in Shelbourne Road also a walk away. As you can see, we like it here!

Apart from Neville Collins - who lives a few streets south of us - I'd find something to agree with in most of the comments on this thread. Though one interesting point seems to be how people have different definitions of the "borders" of Tottenham. Different people having different "mental maps" of an area is a truism everywhere. (An old joke: "Turn left at All Hallows and right at St Mary's" compared to: "Turn left just after the Queen Victoria and right at the big Ladbrokes.")

It seems to me that in Tottenham the claim to set this definition is a serious issue. In the mostly vacuous reports written about Tottenham following the riot in August 2011 there has been a misleading tendency to accept one of two definitions. Riot Tottenham: meaning those streets where the riot happened. Or Developers' Tottenham: areas which are seen as ripe for exploitation by property developers and landlords.

New Zealand may have had some of your own unsavoury "Disaster Capitalism" after the earthquake in Christchurch.

Please take the stuff about "regeneration" and "plans to heavily invest in the area" all with a big pinch of salt. It's mostly hype from failed politicians who don't live here; property developers; and "experts" and consultants who come up with variations of the same solutions in whichever place they work.

Unless you're a bookie or a banker - it's much the same of course - I strongly suggest you avoid betting or banking on house prices rising as Tottenham inevitably becomes the new Shoreditch, Stoke Newington; or  Shangri-La. Unless your next move is to somewhere out of London, prices can rise in tandem (or perhaps fall if the bubble bursts again!) over large parts of the city.

Instead, do explore Tottenham east to west and north to south. Talk to people and look at possible homes. And come to live here - maybe because it's a bit cheaper than other parts of north London and has good transport links. But I hope the main reasons will be because you find the home you really like, in a street/area which appeals to you.

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Permalink Reply by Neville Collins on September 16, 2013 at 17:55

The vast majority of local people unfortunately may not share some of the (misplaced) optimism in this thread. In order for Tottenham to be improved, the council has to abandon their unrealistic developer-lead plans for the area, and start to deal with real priorities. How about putting back the £600k cut from the borough's roadsweeping budget? How about tackling poor planning enforcement? How about actually doing something about the lack of decent social amenities, eg youth clubs, luncheon clubs, etc? How about reparing our existing and installing new public toilets? There's a lot that can be done, but as usual, they go about it the wrong way.

There also needs to be a dose of realism. Tottenham will not become another either Hackney, Dalston, Stokey, Deptford, Battersea, or New Cross. People who buy in the area will have to put up with our brickbats.

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Permalink Reply by Cecilia on September 20, 2013 at 17:30

Hi Ben

we moved to South Tottenham/West Green area about 2 months ago, coming from Muswell Hill - which is supposed to be "posh". We were able to buy a spacious, 5-year old 2-bedroom flat - for the same amount of money that would have bought us a pokey 1950's 1-bed in Muswell Hill.

We are both in our early 30's and we really enjoy living here. It's uber-quiet (never had such a good night sleep in 3 years!) and I disagree with whoever said there's nothing to do. We enjoy going to the Green Lanes for shopping/food and Stoke Newington is just down the road if you want something more "hype". I work in Central London and it takes me only 30-35 minutes to get there, a short walk to the Victoria line and a very brief tube journey - plus I always get a seat, yay!

In general we both feel our quality of life has greatly improved since moving here - despite the lack of Waitrose and Planet Organic!

 

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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on September 20, 2013 at 18:11

Suggest new title, Ben: "South Sea Bubble hits South Tottenham".

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Permalink Reply by Taz Gray on September 22, 2013 at 10:41

Hi Ben,

I'm sorry that I've come to this thread quite late but thought I'd like to add something too to your discussion.

It's coming up to 2 years at the end of this month since I moved to Tottenham. To be honest I had no idea what to expect from the area. I saw a flat I really really liked that I was able to afford so I moved here. It wasn't too long after the riots happened but that didn't deter me one bit. What was more important was that I found a place I can call home. In hindsight, it was perhaps a little naive not having done much research on the area but the flat overruled all of that and thankfully I didn't regret it. But I think getting people's opinion on an area is definitely a sensible move.

Meeting and making new friends is always a little daunting when you move into a new area but this is where this community forum has come up trumps. I've met so many people through this website and have made very good friends. It's nice to have 'local' people you can just meet up with without having to travel across London.

I also started a social group to meet more people who live in Tottenham and to hang out in the local area. I've come across people who have lived here for years to some who have just moved into the area. They all had different stories but all had one thing in common - they want to meet more local people and socialise more in Tottenham. I guess perhaps this is why more things are popping up (albeit quite slowly) around the area especially near Seven Sisters. Perhaps this part of Tottenham would be a good place to start?

There are many community groups within the area of Tottenham. Unless you actively seek out what's out there, you won't really feel the 'community spirit' that people talk about. There's a massive Tottenham community spirit on Twitter who love talking about what's new and exciting and would go and support new businesses and initiatives in droves when they start. (Think someone should open a 'nice' pub on the high road. They'd make a mint, Or an Indian)

A few positive things which took place recently - 

Tottenham Ploughmans - An event which was organised by local resident Cheryl Cohen (who organises the all the London's Farmer's Markets) which included 3 local artisan producers. It was a great success and also got a brief mention in Time Out and Evening Standard. New ploughman event planned for 8th Dec.

Soul Food Girls - A Tottenham Hale based supperclub which is sold out every month and has been featured in the Guardian and also the Huffington Post.

Positive Youth Haringey - Managed to get a full page spread in Time Out a few weeks ago to combat the negative image of young people in Tottenham. Quite a feat for a small community organisation.

Arts exhibitions - Lots of these are popping up around the area. Look up Bruce Castle Museum, Make-Room Arts, Euroarts Studios, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, 639 Centre, Fountayne Road Warehouse communities. 

El Botellon and new Cakes and Shakes - Opened in Seven Sisters and is already proving popular with the locals.

Apologies, but I'm not really sure what the council are doing to change things in the area so I can't comment on that but I do know locals who live in the area are the ones creating their own initiatives and making things happen for people to enjoy all over Tottenham.

Tottenham is a fantastic place to do that!! Hope that's helped.

Cheers

Taz

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