Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Work Under Way to Resurface Finsbury Park Pathways
The following press release has been issued by the Council today:
Resurfacing work is underway in Finsbury Park following this year’s Wireless Festival, which saw litter patrols, noise teams and enforcement officers out in force.
Pathways which were damaged during the three day event are being repaired following a clean-up operation. While there was a short delay to some of the organisers equipment being removed, parks staff worked hard to ensure the park continued to be a clean, safe and welcoming place for people to visit.
Grass, which has been affected by the recent hot weather, will be re-seeded after the next period of significant rainfall.
During the festival, the council received less than half the number of calls from residents than during last year’s event. Both the organisers and council staff cleared rubbish from the site and surrounding streets and the council’s enforcement team also worked hard to crack down on any nuisance behaviour. As a result:
- Thirty-one tickets which were being illegally sold were seized. Some were selling for up to £200.
- 15 alleged ticket touts now face court action.
- Seven fixed penalty notices of £150 were issued for unlicensed street trading.
- Fifteen dispersals orders were issued by the police banning people from returning to the area when they had been causing a nuisance
- One man was arrested for breaching the dispersal order
- Hundreds of nitrous oxide capsules or “laughing gas” were seized.
Work is also underway elsewhere in Finsbury Park to refurbish and extend the ball court area – improvements which have been funded by income from park events, including Wireless.
The revamped area, which is expected to open later this summer, will include new and improved surface and fencing for the basketball area in addition to eight new state-of-the-art hoops, two outdoor table tennis tables, as well as three volleyball courts, a new badminton court and a much-improved netball court.
Haringey Council cabinet member for environment Cllr Stuart McNamara said:
“I’m pleased that we have been able to start work on restoring the park’s pathways and hope to have this work completed as soon as possible. The vast majority of this year’s Wireless Festival was well managed, with tens of thousands of people enjoying themselves safely and a minimal amount of damage to the park. Where issues did arise, we will be discussing these with Live Nation.
“All income from park events is reinvested back into our parks – ensuring they remain in the best shape and offer plenty of modern facilities that are enjoyed by thousands of local residents.”
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park events, wireless festival
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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No mention of who pays for the repair work - Wireless or the taxpayer ?
If it comes out of the Wireless damage deposit - fine. If it comes out of the hire fee for the park - not fine.
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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During the festival, the council received less than half the number of calls from residents than during last year’s event.
More than half the number of residents who called the council last year have lost the will to live, never mind protesting again or trying to correct the grammar of the above sentence.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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The ability to tally calls is likely to depend on the number of lines available, the number of people manning those lines and the number of hours (and days) they were manned. If someone had rung the number and found it engaged or not answered, presumably their complaint wouldn't be recorded. Presumably also, the Council has an interest in wanting to see fewer complaints, rather than more complaints.
On a lighter note, I did enjoy the spin doctors', Grass, which has been affected by the recent hot weather, …
In places the "grass" is trampled to non-existence. However all the over-heated grass appears to be solely in what was Live Nation's franchise. There exist remarkable photos that show green, un-heated grass, in the Live Nation areas just prior to the LN occupation.
When David Lammy MP suggested the east side of Finsbury Park looked like the Serengeti, he was referring to appearance rather than temperatures.
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I write as an ordinary member of the public, with name.
My experience is very different. On July 10th,on the day Live Nation and Haringey reopened the park to public, whole areas were left filthy, dangerous and unusable. I can point you in the direction of a published letter where I explain it all. It was shocking to think that the park had been opened, particularly to children, in such a dangerous state. Unsupervised low loaders were zipping about on Tarmac and grass, ignoring the speed restrictions systematically. When I walked through last night, July 23rd, there's still evidence of burnt grass in many places that was there immediately after Wireless, huge marks where hot fat was poured onto the grass, litter in more places than I can remember etc.
Haringey Council tweeted that all carriageways would be repaired by the end of this week. They won't be - some haven't even been started, and today's rain will bring work to a halt. Perhaps best not make promises that can't be kept - quite understandable if rain stops work. As for the areas where the grass has been turned into dust, Haringey Council say they will reseed after the next heavy rainfall which is just starting as I write. Let's see what happens but the ground is so compacted the rain is likely to wash topsoil away.
To be clear, I write as a named and ordinary member of the public.
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This is spin worthy of a fiction prize. A reflection of the real and dangerous state of Finsbury Park on July 10, when re opened to the public is below.
http://goo.gl/zEk14c
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Cheers, thanks for this, some interesting points but a few that are wide of the mark. I write as an ordinary member of the public so won't answer for any groups etc. I don't like being told what I was thinking at the time by someone I don't know so I'd be grateful if you stopped. And I'm not sure you're in a position to be suggesting something like 'confirmation bias' should such a thing exist. I went into the park on Friday July 10 because I quite often walk through to get to the tube or bus. When I saw the state it was in I stayed longer and came across dumped sleepers, metal spikes, gas cylinders, bolts and clamps and so on. Rather than being convinced beforehand it would be in a terrible state, I actually found it so. Personally I don't believe the park is in a better state, quite the opposite. And the grass in all areas occupied by Wireless is in a poor state - fact - with one area as you say worse, and its considerably bigger than you describe.
Quite unsolicited, someone approached me in the park yesterday as I walked home and asked "Why should we have to fight for our green spaces, why is that parks aren't parks anymore for people to use, what are they now just cash cows." Turns out he brings his disabled dad into the park everyday but can't for the duration of the Wireless occupation.
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I reply as an individual resident, named.
You continue to miss the point I fear. I found major things in the park on July 10, I certainly didn't go out to find things to suit my preconceived ideas - I didn't have any but you insist I and perhaps others did. Please, I ask once more, don't put words or ideas into my mind or mouth that aren't true. The Serengeti metaphor was used for a section of the park and was coined by an MP.
I continue to have questions about the validity of being anonymous on this particular forum. Have a good weekend
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Is it my imagination or has the squiggly path leading across the grass of the bandstand slope( from the Seven Sisters Rd entrance end) been widened while it was being repaired? It now looks as if it would be more easily accessible by large vehicles!
Also, I wonder if it will be left as plain black tarmac (like the road it now is, or will it be graveled over as it was and like all the other paths as insisted upon by HLF. I wasn't a great fan of the gravel as much less easy to walk on, but it now looks odd for one path to be different.
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I write as an ordinary member of the public with name.
I think it may have been widened slightly but cannot be sure. During setup and take down of Wireless big trucks used this route; it's not designed for the weight of an articulated lorry. As to colour and surface finish I expect Haringey Council will be the only people who can answer.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Hare on
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I joined the walk with FoFP and the very helpful council officer Lewis Taylor on Weds (22nd July). The mismatch of the black colour and non-chipped surface material of the path repairs you mention was raised with him. I pointed out either the specification for the repair was wrong, or if it was correct, then the checking and signing-off of the repair was deficient. Lewis will look into what's happened, but I suspect there's no recourse to the contractor. The work has been done neatly, but the difference from the existing looks extremely poor, and needs to be fixed.
Bob Hare
(Lib Dem councillor spokesperson on parks)
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