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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Worse than traffic: How neighbouring councils are fixing grill smoke (and we aren't)

While we value Green Lanes' vibrant restaurant economy, the dense concentration of over 20 major grills is severely impacting local air quality. 

I've heard that these grills are 'planning compliant', so we can assume that many operate under legacy planning consents, avoiding the modern filtration requirements (like Electrostatic Precipitators or Ozone systems) that new businesses face.

But Haringey is not alone - neighbouring boroughs have had the same problems. But instead of treating them as an unsolvable problem, neighbouring boroughs are already taking action:

  • Westminster City Council: Funding a pilot scheme to retrofit older commercial kitchens with advanced air purification to cut PM2.5 emissions.

  • Islington Council: Acknowledging that cooking emissions now exceed traffic as a primary PM2.5 source, they are enforcing stricter rules on chimney heights and mandatory filtration.

  • Hackney Council: Actively enforcing "Authorised Fuels" rules within their Smoke Control Areas to ensure businesses use DEFRA-compliant low-smoke charcoal instead of cheap, high-emission alternatives.

Haringey Council should follow suit and:

  1. Establish Green Lanes as a "Special Policy Area" in the 2025–2030 Air Quality Action Plan.

  2. Audit the 20+ grills immediately to enforce the use of DEFRA-authorised low-smoke fuels.

  3. Launch a grant or low-interest loan scheme to help legacy businesses install proper filtration.

We shouldn't have to choose between a thriving high street and the right to breathe clean air in our homes. This should not be a party political issue. All parties should be supporting residents' right to live within mandatory pollution limits, and yes, it's possible to support the local restaurant economy and residents' health.

Tags for Forum Posts: air pollution, ladder air pollution

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anna Abela 4 hours ago

Also: for context, the email above summarises an hour-long meeting that went into quite a lot of technical detail on Nuisance law & enforcement that I have not reproduced in full here. Residents who would like to discuss this two-pronged approach in more detail are welcome to attend one of my surgeries. My next surgery is on Saturday 28 March at the TCCA, 628-630 Green Lanes N8 0SD from 11am-noon. 

Best, 

Anna

Permalink Reply by Hugh 4 minutes ago

Thanks, Anna. I do hope you're efforts are rewarded with results.  

For the record, residents have been raising the issue on HoL since 2012.

I'm reproducing below a sample of comments posted, starting off with two from a thread started by AndrewAW1 in 2019, one of which is a reply from Zena which carries the same message as yours. 

1a. Posted by AndrewAW1 on September 13, 2019

Aside from the general pollution on Green Lanes the "smoke" pollution seems to be getting worse. You can smell it most evenings and sometimes even see it in the air.

I'd guess it either comes from the Turkish restaurant grills or domestic fires (although I'd assume that, given the weather at the moment, it is currently mainly the restaurants). 

1b. Reply by Zena Brabazon on September 21, 2019 at 19:38

Dear All

The issue of smoke from the restaurants was raised with me some moths ago. I asked the enforcement officers about it. They provided a very long response which - in summary - is that individuals need to keep a record of how it is affecting you. General comments and criticisms won't work. The restaurants comply with the legal requirements and rules regarding extractors etc, so any complaint must be rooted in what is happening to an individual based on a log/record. I can check again as this was sometime ago but that is my recollection of the key points. I did press this issue and as I recall, they did provide a very comprehensive answer.

You can get in touch with me at; zena.brabazon@haringey.gov.uk


Both from https://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/smoky-air-on-green-lanes


2. Posted by kotkas on March 19, 2018 at 7:38

Has anyone else noticed of late that there is a plume of restaurant smoke accumulating over the mid section of Pemberton and Mattison roads. Usually just over South Harringay School? I know that this is a common complaint in the neighbourhood but I have noticed it is far more pronounced, permanent and noxious than ever before, leading me to believe that it may be one of the restaurants in the area possibly lacking the required filtering systems?

It is very concentrated - to the point where one can smell what is being cooked, and tends to 'hover' over said area - one can tell that the air quality changes by going up and down the ladder streets.

https://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/smoke-nuisance-mattison-pe...

3. Reply by Justin Guest on October 3, 2018 at 10:59

Simple answer is yes (and no). A few residents have been discussing this for a while and we (which includes the LCSP and GRA reps) have engaged with Councillors on both sides of GL to try to see what can be done.

Initial feedback was not massively positive.

https://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/the-great-harringay-smog-s...


4. Posted by Penguin on March 20, 2017 at 22:44

The air around these restaurants is often thick with coal fumes particularly but not exclusively at the weekends. I suspect there is some contravention of pollution control guidlines here but Haringey Council dare not intervene.

https://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/turkish-restaurants-and-th...

5. Reply by Ruth on July 20, 2012 at 16:27

charcoal smoke drifting through the air which gets right into the flat....

https://harringayonline.com/forum/topics/three-more-surprsized-turk...

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