Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Loos in Finsbury Park
OK, before I add my rant about Wood Green, can I have one about the Gents in Finsbury Park.
Was in the park on Weds and used it.
It STANK.
The walls are a dirty dark colour. None of the cubicles were working, one urinal was blocked and over flowing, leaving just one single loo to be used. The sinks were filthy, no soap and no driers. And to top it all, there was a fat boss-eyed old man who was clearly 'cottaging'. As I sat by the cafe I noticed he would go in, hang about then come out again and hang about outside before going back in again. He also kept wandering over to the bushes by Manor House Gates, so he was clearly up to no good.
In the end what I did was ring the contractors from inside the loo and loudly complain - even about the dirty old man (who was still hanging about inside) and they promised to do something about it. Whether they did or not, I don't know. But there was a check sheet in the loo that had not been touched.
When I first moved here in the late 90s Finsbury Park was the Hampstead Heath of this part of London. But now they've closed off the Railway Path moved the loo and created clear views, that behaviour has all but vanished, during the day at least. Mind, at night is quite another story - and that is something that really needs to be tackled.
With the good weather upon us, the park is going to be seriously busy - particularly the cafe and children's play area. The loos therefore need PROPER ATTENTION.
They need repainting in a lighter colour. They need to be made fully operational - and they need to be looked at regularly.You also need a high barrier between the two urinals and take six inches off the top and bottom of the cubicle doors and if you can afford it, put frosted glass window in the top of the doors. Oh and ultra violet light bulbs too.
Why does it take so long to fix a problem with a public toilet? I volunteered for 25 years on a youth camp, where looking after loos were an essential part of our workload. I doubt there's a problem I can't fix in five minutes flat. If the 'Friends' group want to organise Service Crew weekends, I don't mind cleaning them. And I won't just clean the dirt on the floor out either - bug eyed dirty old men, please take note.
Seriously folks, FP is an important landmark of North London. We don't want it getting back to the bad old days. So please, do something about those sodding loos.
Now Breathe!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Richard Wilson on
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A very similar complaint was mas made on stroudgreen.org a week or so ago and I have already put in a formal complaint to the council officer in charge of Finsbury Park. But I'll also forward him your account of the problem to encourage him to take action. It's not good enough - especially given the amount of money they are going to make from concerts this year.
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Permalink Reply by L F T Snowflake on
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Thanks to both the councillors for taking this up. The changes I have mentioned will do a lot to counter any attempt at anti social behaviour. But they can also put up very direct notices all over the place pointing out these facilities are in a designated children's play area and that any anti social behaviour will be dealt with by the police.
They also need to make sure that all graffiti is cleared up as soon at it is put up.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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Thanks for flagging this up. I will also take this up with the appropriate council officers to get this dealt with as soon as possible.
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I cycle round too - its actually a tough workout. FP is getting a lot better. And the fact that FP is becoming a better place is the reason why the loos need to be looked after. It ain't difficult at all and its very important. If they look good and are looked after, you won't get problems.
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Permalink Reply by JD on
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When Gavin ran the toilets there was a massive improvement. he really looked after them, they were clean, no graffiti and always stocked with paper. he also added soap, mirrors and painted them. Since he lost the contract there has been a massive deterioration. frequently there is no paper, ( when I complained I was told people were stealing the paper ( didn't happen before!), broken toilet seats/or no seats at times, over flowing bins and a general decline in hygiene and rise in graffit. Such a shame.
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Indeed so.
When I worked on the Scout Camp keeping the loos clean were essential as was keeping them well stocked. When you have 1000+ campers in for a fortnight, you cannot afford not to. On a practical level, people will use as much paper as you put out. Thats the way it is and people managing such facilities have to live with it.
Hygiene is easy to maintain. There is a cleaning fluid callled Reosan that smells like bubble gum mop the floors with that three times a day and there is not a problem. The graffiti needs to be cleaned off immediately every time. But you also need a lot better lighting - ultra violet deters druggies and anti social behaviour and lighter walls. Another thing, particularly in the gents are clear and distinct signs stating that anti social behaviour will be reported to the police. As I say too, designating them as part of a children's play area will also stop a lot.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Henderson on
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It is really sad that the political establishment has allowed public toilets to be progressively run down and in many other cases, closed. The need to use the loo is part of our common humanity, you always come out of a 'nice' bathroom in a better mood than when you come out of a grotty one, and for many people it's also an access issue.
[I am a Green Party election candidate for Haringey Council in Tottenham Green ward... and former Stroud Green resident]
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I followed this up. The council's response is here:
http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/finsbury-park-toilets?x...
Let me know if things don't improve and I will chase it up again.
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