Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Tricky dealing as Kinleigh Folkard Hayward rides roughshod over community interest
(Retrospective Note: This image was a spoof version of the KFH masthead which was part of their 'Completely London' campaign in which they sought to portray themselves as community champions. See end of post for original masthead)
The claims of estate agents Kinleigh Folkard Hayward to being upstanding corporate citizens and even community champions are ringing very hollow in Harringay today.
Despite the proud boast of Kinleigh Folkard Hayward to be "bringing your city to life", the tricky dealings by the London estate agents seem to suggest that community interest and community wellbeing are of little concern to them.
Back in July this year, Salisbury boss Dave, heard rumours that the office premises next to Tesco, on the corner of St Ann's Road and Salisbury Road (originally leased for a KFH office), was to be sublet by Kinleigh Folkard Hayward to a betting shop operator.
There's strong awareness in the neighbourhood that we have about as many betting shops as any high street could bear. So I was keen to find an alternative letting solution. I'd heard about a couple of London examples recently when the community had approached either a betting shop operator, or a landlord and persuaded them not to open a betting shop. Given the case to be made for Green Lanes having a surfeit of betting shops, I suggested to Rob Chau of Harringay Traders that an approach be made to KFH.
I felt that there must be a solution that would satisfy KFH's legitimate commercial requirements whilst also delivering on community interest.
Rob picked up the baton and passed things over to the GLA team involved on the Green Lanes regeneration project. As summer progressed and turned to Autumn, all seemed to be going well. GLA supported plans had been hatched to let the shop and use it as a community pop-up space for an interim period.
About a week ago Rob told me that negotiations had progressed well and that the arrangements for a community pop-up shop were about to be finalised. Then out of the blue yesterday, the Haringey Council licensing team received an application for a licence to operate the premises as a betting shop.
My first thought was that perhaps the betting shop operator had made a speculative application in the hope that they would come to terms with KFH. I haven't completely abandoned hope of this being the case. We don't know for sure that it's not. But, when I spoke to Rob Chau early this morning he told me, "It's 90% certain that KFH have decided to lease to the betting shop. You don't submit a licensing application unless you're certain you have a premises to licence". Then Councillor Nilgun Canver told me, "Kinleigh Folkard Hayward abandoned our proposals and the licensing application is being progressed".
It seems like bad news. It seems like KFH could reasonably face accusations not only of riding roughshod over community interest, but also of what might at best be described as a rather tricky approach to negotiating with a local community.
Rob Chau commented, "I'm very disappointed. No one from KFH has bothered to visit. They just don't care. This is only a commercial issue for them."
"They've been very two-faced. They put on a community face and got involved in drawn out discussions and negotiations; with the other face, they did a deal against community interest.
I asked Dave at the Salisbury what he thought of the way KFH had conducted themselves, "I think it's disgusting. It's really disgusting. We really don't need another betting shop. I'm not happy at all"
Those of you who caught my angry tweets last night might suspect that I'm keen to see if we can get together as a community to fight this. You'd be right! I respect KFH's right to make a commercial decision, but there must be a way, where between them, the GLA, the Council and the community we can come up with a solution where we're all winners.
If KFH truly have shut the door on negotiation, then there are a range of options open for fighting this. More over the next few days.
Retrospective addition - KFH 'Completely London' masthead which was spoofed in the image at the top of this post.
Tags for Forum Posts: betting, gambling, kfh, kinleigh folkard hayward
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul on
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There is a cafe... and my two drones only have 20 mins flying time.
The scary bit is the control.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Great Paul.
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Permalink Reply by L F T Snowflake on
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Depends on how uncomfortable you want their lives to be.
In the 1980's residents of the Walterton Estate in Paddington (where I grew up) ran a campaign against a (totally bogus as it turned out) 'plan' to have the estate redeveloped by a private developer.
Their tactics included raiding the offices, not only of the developer, but also all their suppliers and other customers. They also targeted any Councillors they claimed were involved in the scheme. One poor sod used to find himself regularly being doorstepped by protestors on the school run! Needless to say he resigned from the council fairly soon afterwards.
Now, in this case, One could target KFH very easily with a phone campaign. What's a busy day for an estate agent? Well, on that day, simply carpet bomb them with protesting phone calls. Won't cost much providing a few folk are willing to give up a few of their free mobile minutes.A leaflet campaign asking Ladder residents not to use KFH when selling or letter is another good one. And as regards the betting shop companies, find out where the directors live and stage a very noisy protest outside their homes.
Lots of things you can do - some that I would rather not mentioned on here because I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, but they would make life very uncomfortable indeed for any agent or betting shop operator. The trick is rousing people from their slumber over this issue.
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Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on
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How do we protest about this? Simone post up some KFH manager numbers -lets start a phone campaign of objections first. Then move on to other tactics.
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Good idea, and email addresses of managers if poss.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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I've been stewing about this for the last hour. What is so utterly depressing is that I can't see any evidence that anyone in a position to do anything about this actually wants to. The coalition, I'd dare to say, won't see it as a priority because it isn't something that affects their typical constituencies. Plus of course there is the political capital to be gained from the fact that it was the last Labour govt who were idiotic enough to pass the legislation that Clive mentions earlier. How can it be ok to have this kind of concentration of betting shops in such a small area?
Am curious about the high rent though - they will only be allowed to have a certain number of fixed odds betting terminals, ie the same amount as in a far smaller shop, like the ones across the road. But hey at least there will be lots more pavement space for all the guys to hang out on.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Hugh, this is what happens when you work "behind the scenes" and "in committees". Salt for your wounds - you were naive. Look at what happened with the Queen's Head. For goodness sake, as soon as you get even a sniff of this stuff, blow it open. How many property deals have KFH managed that they wouldn't have if you'd said what was going on?
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Hugh, this is HOL's time to celebrate a slightly belated 5th Birthday with style and purpose.
HOL has 5,000+ signed up users with 1,000+ unique visitors every day.
A boast that KFH would be glad to be able to make in this borough.
"The focus is on connecting neighbours and providing news and information about the local area" - NOT, may I suggest, in just a detached or neutrally hands-off manner.
"We're not in it for the money," - as, for example, are Paul Simon Lettings, KFH and above all (it pains me to say) my countryman and fellow Celtic Tiger Paddy Power. (Bet you a tenner tanner thrup'ny bit it's him.)
While a daily demo, not just a token picket, at the Coliseum would not have the same nuisance effect as similar demo outside a "working" KFH (e.g. Crouch End), it would for the immediate future be at least a show of solidarity with David (of Salisbury) and other tenants of the Coliseum. Not sure whether those apartments are rented, leased or a mixture.
Obama started as a not very effective "Community Organizer" in Chicago and look where it got him to. (OK, OK, a not very effective Mormon mugger on worldwide TV). But maybe it's time for HOL - not just Hugh - to deliver a K.O. hammering to KFH, Paddy Power and whoever. So let's lay off missing moggies and Moka cawfee for a few weeks and concentrate the energies of at least 1,000 of those 5,000+ on Coliseum Corner. Unless, of course, most of you really do need another betting shop.
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I can't believe this, OEA and I are in perfect harmony (let's give it a week tops). See you on the picket line Eddie..
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If we have the numbers + strong HOL backing, I'll be there.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I'd very much welcome being part of any community resistance to this squalid show of shyster scheming.
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