Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local MPs write to Mayor of London on Green Lanes pollution
Hi everyone,
I have been asked to share with you a letter that our local Labour MPs David Lammy and Catherine West sent to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to make him aware of the dangerous levels of air pollution affecting residents in Harringay, on the Ladder and in the Gardens.
The letter asks Sadiq Khan to consider supporting the London Borough of Haringey to address this issue through the Mayor's Air Quality Fund.
As always, well done to the residents who have raised the profile of this important issue and gathered valuable evidence to support informed action.
Best regards,
Anna
Former Labour councillor for Harringay ward (2022-2026)
- Attachments:
Replies to This Discussion
-
Admin for testingPermalink Reply by Hugh -
Thanks for co-ordinating this (but where on earth in "Haringey Green Lanes". Could the MPs mean Harringay?
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Abela
-
Hi Hugh,
I didn't coordinate this letter so cannot take any credit.
No need to convince me about the correct nomenclature. I vividly remember our many exchanges about this over the years! :)
Best,
Anna
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton
-
I trust that the action taken by the Mayor will be evidence-based on the range of causative possible factors rather than attributing guilt in advance.
-
Permalink Reply by Jamie Harper
-
That the visible and invisible streams of particulates and smoke coming from the kebab shops on Green Lanes don't flow through your windows in Tottenham Hale isn't remarkable.
Your persistent sealioning and refusal to accept the evidence of those who live either side of Green Lanes is.
-
-
A positive step in terms of publicising the issue.
Not sure why they under-egged the extent of the pollution. Also, I would hate to see public funds bailing these companies out. I'd rather see them used to prosecute and enforce the harm they are causing. The cost of any remedy ought to be borne by the restaurants. But I suppose getting it fixed is the priority.
-
Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
-
Is this not a localised matter the local council ought to be able to deal with, without involving the Mayor of London?
Months after the issue was raised in terms, the subtext now seems to be that hopes of Haringey "officers" achieving action and results has been abandoned or placed on the back-burner.
If only high, external Labour politicians have a chance of achieving progress on local pollution, what does this say about the usefulness of our council to which we pay tax?
Has too much public money been diverted to the London Borough of Culture 2027 and the (rumoured) massive Rebel Borough Culture Legacy Fund?
I too would be unhappy to see busy, profitable businesses being absolved of their responsibility to the wider community if public funds (our money) are to subsidise what they should be paying for themselves. Would it not underscore the feebleness of our council and set a bad precedent?
-
-
I'm perplexed by two of the paragraphs in this letter:
"We want to be absolutely clear that the Turkish businesses on our stretch of Green Lanes
provide enormous value to our community. They have put our constituencies on the cultural
map, with people traveling from far and wide to eat there. They are much loved and we will not
contemplate or endorse any intervention which threatens their livelihoods or long-term
business prospects.
We believe that through funding and creative collaboration with the Greater London Authority,
Haringey Council will be able to deliver solutions which allow our Turkish businesses to prosper
without damaging our constituents’ health."The implication is that these business deserve special treatment because they are Turkish and somehow provide "enormous value" to our community. Beyond paying taxes, what is this "enormous value" they provide to our community? Do they donate to local causes, support local schools, help local charities deal with homelessness, promote access to people with disabilities, organise community litterpicks, provide training opportunities for local young people? I've no doubt they do some of those things for 'their' community but not 'ours'. Have you ever seen any black staff working in these restaurants? Or a South Asian kid or an English kid?
It might be possible to argue that the restaurants provide a draw to the area and that visitors spend money in nearby shops but those shops tend to be owned and operated by the same people (vertical integration). Is there a non-Turkish shop on Green Lanes that benefits from the footfall visiting the grill restaurants?
I say this not to denigrate the Turkish businesses (noting some are run by non-Turkish Kurds) but to query why they require special consideration. Why should seemingly profitable businesses be given public funds in order to comply with existing regulations? They are profitable enough to regularly refurbish their interiors. Do readers recall when local businesses were given funds by the then Labour council to upgrade their shopfronts (condition free)?
I wonder if the excellent new Somali restaurant which also grills would be covered by this request?
This is a simple problem to fix. Remind the businesses that exceed the limits of what the regulations are and give them a reasonable timeline to comply. If they don't comply, follow up with a non-compliance warning, then a fine, then closure.
Haringey Council has no mercy when it comes to fining drivers who don't pay or overstay the car parking limits on Green Lanes. Those drivers are 'contributing' to our community too.
-
-
THE MP's letter wants to have it both ways: to fix pollution and not to do anything that could remotely offend the restaurant owners.
Someone seems to have told the MPs: be careful not to write anything that could upset the owners. This may be the most illuminating aspect of it.
Other, alternative businesses might also offer "enormous value to our community" and become “much loved". But there seems to be something extra special about this clutch of traders who are singled out for over-the-top praise.
In my view, the unusual status of the Turkish businesses underscores their long-term, cosy relationship with local Labour. Where is the evidence you cry?
Although Anna & Zena appear not to be part of any cosy group, there was a third Harringay Ward Councillor for 30+ years who is little mentioned in this context. A Turkish Cypriot and Haringey Mayor four times.
Another person was elected as a Labour Councillor in the nearby St Anns Ward and they were—or are—a shopkeeper on Green Lanes. They were then elected (within the Labour Group) as Haringey Mayor.
The last and most recent Labour leader was a fan of identity politics. She was also proud of her Turkish Cypriot roots and this personal pride was mentioned time and again. Whereas, air pollution has the potential to affect anyone’s health.
Has there been disproportionate influence, and not in the cause of public health? Transport too?
This is all circumstantial evidence of cosiness of course. All the same, I’d be curious about the amount the donations from shopkeepers to local Labour over the years.
Much of such cosiness would have evaporated, but some may endure among “officers”.
-
-
I want to set aside the arguments that have taken up so much of this thread and focus on what matters. There have been some important victories.
- The pollution from grill restaurants is acknowledged.
- The threat to our health is being recognised.
- The issue is receiving the public attention that a serious public health problem demands.
- And funding is being sought for the equipment needed to tackle it.
These things matter.
But recognition is not action. And promises are not protection. Our children cannot wait. Our lungs cannot wait. Our long-term health cannot wait. We must continue to demand action.
Support for local businesses must never mean support for breaking the law. We can value our high street, support the people who work and trade there, and insist that every business complies with the law and protects the health of the community.
Where the Clean Air Act 1993 is being breached, those breaches must continue to be pursued. I am encouraged that Haringey Council is looking at how it can enforce the law against businesses that are not complying.
But let us be clear: this progress did not happen because we sat quietly and hoped somebody else would act. It happened because residents spoke up. We raised our voices. We kept raising them. And we must keep raising them.
So, Harringay, let us not allow this issue to disappear into another round of discussion. Let us keep contacting our councillors, our MPs and the Mayor. Let us keep reporting breaches. Let us keep demanding enforcement. Let us keep demanding clean air.
We have every right to expect to live, work and raise our children without being subjected to harmful pollution on our own high street.
We do not have to accept this. We should not accept this. And we will not stop pushing until something is done.
© 2026 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
