Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
West Green Road
New to this message board.
I notice the old tyre shop at 95 West Green Rd has been empties - It's looking like the shop is going to potentially be refurbished.
I really hope that they turn this shop inot something nice for the area - a nice cafe/restaurant for example, rather than another 24 hour greengrocer or junk food outlet.
Also - I notice there has been some movement in the old Japanese restaurant, but no signs of a refurbishment yet. Hopefully this doesn't just turn into another chicken shop.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is an upturn in the fortunes for this part of West Green Rd.
The area has got a lot going for it - and let's face it it's so convenient being so close to the Tube. There are some great local businesses along this stretch of road that are spoiled by so many chicken shops - all the area needs is an upturn in fortunes to smarten up a little, and some more great local businesses that add something to the area, rather than another greengrocer.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by PinkHeartSticker on
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passed there today and looks to be a sainsburys local.
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Permalink Reply by Alastair Pearce on
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Nah that's the old Woolworth's store further down near to the station.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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There are two Sainsburys locals arriving i think - one in the Fair Deal site, one further up towards West Green which is now on their website as opened. Would they build them 400m apart at #5 + #95 ?
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Yep there's no doubt they're building two Sainsbury Local's less than 1/2 a mile apart.
Much the same as there's a Tesco Metro by South Tottenham station and a Tesco supermarket a little further up the High Rd.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Bumstead on
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The Sainsburys Local shown on West Green Road is near to the junction with Langham Road and serves a different residential population. The one opening on the old Fair Deal site is interesting. If the Wards Corner development finally gets the go-ahead then, as far as I can judge from the plans, the whole of this block will be demolished and replaced.
On a different but similar topic the whole of West Green Road badly needs some real investment. The Seven Sisters end should be able to benefit from the Tottenham regeneration funding even if that was only spent on refurbishing the building frontages. The Green Lanes end has been neglected for far too long. If we want people to take pride in their neighbourhoods then its up to the Council to facilitate the funding, possibly from the Mayor of London, to make those areas that people respect and enjoy.
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And watch out for the coming redevelopment of Lawrence Road (until recently the holder of the Most Churches per Square Metre in (UK? Europe? World?) - seriously!). You'll see its all boarded up. Got the planning application through my door a few weeks ago and you can read about it on the Council website. Lots of housing. No doubt a Costa coffee...
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I would love to see WGR smartened up a bit. There is some good stuff there but it looks so gack, it must really put people off. I must admit, when a lady asked me outside Seven Sisters tube the other day how to get to St Ann's hospital, I sent her down Seven Sisters Road/St Anns road rather than down WGR!
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A friend of mine used to live on WGR but moved away about 12 years ago. He visited me recently, his first time back, and thought it was much nicer than when he lived there!
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From what I hear this development apparently was granted permission this week in circumstances that just illustrate how Haringey Council is selling Tottenham short because they have no faith in the community having a healthy vision of how it thinks it own place can be improved.
The Council has one track thinking, no comprehensive vision of how Tottenham can be lifted up without allienating many people along the way and instead of enabling/empowering/facilitating self-help and development, they are preaching "regeneration" via new retail and big subsidized private developments as the only way to go.I can tell you that there will be more rioting if the Council continues along this road because what is happening is untenable for people who will have no option but to turn to violence to defend there bread and butter.
I am NOT threatening this violence myself...I just see it welling up in the community.
Last summer's riots were announced in the spring in various meetings where youth and social workers did talk up and say that the "summer would be hot" if the cuts went ahead and access to services was reduced.
A word to the wise is sufficient and if the councillors really care for the people in Tottenahm they will pause for thought.
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The process for the Lawrence Road Development, if that's the one you mean' was fully open and produced a plan that was approved by the majority of thecommunity who took the time to participate. The Council has not railroaded into this - there have been several exhibitions, the developers listened to the local people and changed their plans accordingly - there was even a meeting of the Design Panel open to the public.
I don't normally have much time for the way Haringey consults with residents feeling, as many do, that a decision has been made and we're being told to rubber stamp it. In this case that has not happened. Would you have preferred that Lawrence Road was allowed to continue its decline and become a no-go area for residents? Yes, the Council needs to develop a 'vision' for Tottenham - indeed for the whole of the Borough and residents must contribute to this. The best way forward is to develop ideas and gain publicity for them so that the councillors have to listen. The worst way forward is to sit there and complain. Negativity will get us nowhere.
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It is the "it is this or nothing" attitude when developers are asked to pay their full way. and the quality of teh developments we are getting here too. Lawrence rd will have few "affordable homes". Will the developer participate in the provision of services, school places, etc for that number of new residents?
They will have no difficulty in selling those properties if they are well thought out precisely because of where they are situated. I do not beleieve that Tottenahm is blighted. I certainly DO NOT go around saying that the area I live in is deprived. It has its problems but e.g. the crime statsistics, paint it in a better light than Islington which people aspire to live in. And people said the same thing about CLAPHAM when I lived there 19 years ago!!!I agree that Lawrence rd and many other parts of Tottenham need much attention. They have so much potential if sensitively revitalized. I wonder why it has all been neglected for all these years. I understand that the reasons are quite complex. Can you tell me? Now that things are happening and a lot of peole are paying attention, why the desperation to rush things through as if there will be no other opportunities for getting things built. I also acknowledge that there has been some community consultation in the LAwrence rd scheme but there is still room for much improvement.
We should be aiming for the highest common denominator for our community not the lowest.
With respect.
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I agree with your comments about the highest possible solutions and not the lowest common denominator. That's why I suggested that we, as residents, need to start to come up with ideas and get them out into the public domain and give those ideas the impetus to force the Council into doing the things we want - not taking what they consider to be the 'easy' solution.
The history of the Lawrence Road buildings is complex. I assume that, at one time, they provided a reasonable amount of employment. As far as I have been able to ascertain the Irish Banking Sector was involved at some point - probably just before they went down in the financial crash of '08. Since then there has been a rapid deterioration with fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour, etc. The advent of the numerous churches mentioned by Pete B went a little way to help but they were only there as a result of a temporary permission and did little to revitalise the area.
I know that one of the leading Housing Associations is involved in the redevelopment so, hopefully, there will be some affordable housing units in the development. On the question of school places and other services we have yet to see the S106 (or its successor) proposals which are meant to cover some of this provision. It will be a shame if Bellway are allowed a reduction in this provision as happened in the case of the Grainger development of the Wards Corner site where there was the removal of £200k education contribution and the West Green Road improvement fund reduced from £250k to £150k.
Wards Corner in itself raises an interesting question. That development includes no social housing provision. If I may quote from the Summary of Report laid before the Special Planning Sub Committee on 25th June 2012, "The applicant has demonstrated that the provision of affordable housing would make the scheme unviable. The same conclusion was reached by DVS (District Valuer?) following their own independent financial appraisal of the scheme. Although no affordable housing is proposed, a significant number of affordable units have been consented to elsewhere in the east of the borough". This would suggest that Haringey Council doesn't want social housing in this part of Tottenham. Does it want to 'gentrify' the area. I'd be interested to hear from any councillors who may have an insight into this. At least Bellway are providing some units which is all to the good.
Best wishes.
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