Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Technopark sale involves school 'annexing' Down Lane Park facilities
In addition, the 'fire-sale' of the building also involves the land of a public path between the building and Watermead Way being bundled into the deal to sweeten it even more. Full detail of the proposed sale is available from
http://www.minutes.haringey.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=118&...
The Friends of DLP believe that public parks and their facilities are for local people, and that local users shouldn't be shunted to one side because the proposed school site doesn't have the appropriate play space. If this goes unchecked it is not too difficult to imagine other park facilities - the outdoor gym and the soon-to-be built tennis courts - being annexed for school facilities.
If you share our concerns about protecting public parks for local people then please write to John Bevan, the Council's cabinet member with responsibility for parks. His email is john.bevan@haringey.gov.uk
I accept that the financial drain of the Technopark on the public purse needs resolving. It is a disgrace that the Council has lost approximately £600,000 per annum over the last five years at least in renting the building. But the users of Down Lane Park and local people shouldn't have to pay the price of the Council's incompetence in entering into a costly lease of a building it owns the freehold of.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Are there really no other profit-making school-builders than 'Lord' Harris? Why is the council so in awe to super-rich people?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Why is the council so in awe to super-rich people?
If their only attribute was wealth, it might or might not be objectionable. I wasn't entirely surprised that this council wanted to do business with a super-rich individual (Firoz Kassam, for years, the council's preferred development partner).
However it always surprised me that a Labour Council wanted to gift-aid our charity's main asset (Alexandra Palace) to a former slum landlord.
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Martin, this is a disgrace.
It also appears to be a continuation of disregard and general assault on public parks by the Labour Cabinet.
We saw it a few years ago, when the council wanted to build over one third of Down Lane Park and more recently at Scrutiny (re the regular rental of Finsbury Park). Then, we heard a variety of contemptuous statements by the Cabinet Member for Parks, including the parks have never paid their way.
If the Cabinet Member with "responsibility" for parks doesn't stand up for them, then he is at risk of acquiring the same reputation locally, that Dr. Beeching acquired over railway line closures nationally.
Should we make way for the stampede of local Labour councillors, rushing to the defence of local residents' interests?
The Scrutiny chair claimed the council had considered privatising our parks but had decided against it. At a recent area assembly meeting, I questioned one council officer about how far the council had got with their privatisation plans. He denied that the rental agreement of Finsbury Park represented a step towards privatisation of our parks ... however, I'm not convinced.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Lindsay-Smith on
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But this is the future, according to the present government and the leaders of Haringey!
Our citizens will be born in a privately run hospital, study at a privately owned free/academy school, travel on a privately owned bus to a job that is certainly not part of the residual public sector, possibly get married in a privately run ceremony, and eventually be cremated in a privately run furnace!
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Permalink Reply by Martin Ball on
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Update on Technopark 'fire-sale' and impact on Down Lane Park
Despite the Technopark not yet being officially sold, the Department for Education has this past week announced approval for a Harris Federation primary school in Tottenham Hale.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/successful-free-school-proposals...
'The successful academy chain Harris has had 2 London primary schools approved today. One 630-place school in will be located in Tottenham Hale and the other over 420-place school in Southwark. The schools will both have a literacy specialism. As part of the Harris network, they will benefit from sharing curriculum teaching and learning practices, pastoral practices and administrative services.'The Council might be happy to be steamrollered into a 'fire-sale' of the Technopark, but the Friends group is opposed to park facilities being privatised and won't dance to the convenient of the Harris Federation's business expansion plan. Unlike the Council we are not so afraid of a bad Ofsted inspection that we are handing over public assets to the free school bully of the DfE.
The only slow progress to report is that I haven't had any contact from the Council to meet with the Friends of Down Lane Park group. But given the way the traders on the High Road have been treated - http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/tottenham_traders_haringey_m... - then I am not expecting anything meaningful. Though the Leader of the Council did publicly promise consultation with the Friends group as a priority.
If anybody wants to learn more then I am happy to provide a tour of the park.
Martin
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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Hi Martin
The announcement by the DfE reminded me of something Ariel Sharon said. He talked of 'making facts on the ground' which is what the DfE are doing here. But it's not a fact yet as the 'negotiations' about the lease and building are ongoing. I'm sending in some questions.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, St. Ann's Ward
Resident - Tottenham Hale
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Hi Martin, I'd like to take you up on your offer of a tour of the park. Thanks
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The 630 place free school mentioned in the DfE January 2014 press release is I think a primary-only scheduled to open in Sept 2015. No site has as far as I know been suggested other than the Tottenham Hale area. Free Schools are often approved before a site is identified.
The school proposed for the Technopark - and Down Lane Park - is a combined primary/ secondary (4-19 years) opening in September 2014 and growing to almost 1,500 places. (It is not clear from their prospectus whether they will have nursery provision on top of this). I have heard that Harris intends to bus the children starting this Sept (ie. Reception, Year 7 and VI form) to one of its other schools (in the Olympic Village) until it has redeveloped the Technopark and Down Lane.
Susan
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Can anyone tell me why Technopark is not viable for its original purpose of providing a site where small businesses can operate, and provide jobs? According to the brochure, Lee Valley Technopark offers:-
• Good quality serviced offices/business units• Easy access to public transport• Proximity to national motorway network• On-site parking• Flexible short term tenancies• Longer term leases also available• 24 hour/365 days a year accessible
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.... and why they can't hang on for the 'regenerated' Tottenham? As all the new monster housing for thousands of suitably cleansed people floods in, and a main target is job creation, isn't this site purpose-built just for that? Only five minutes from Tottenham Hale International. Once it's gone to 'Lord' Harris it no longer belongs to us. There are 57 other sites earmarked across the borough for 'opportunities'. Let 'Lord' Harris pay for his own bricks.
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