Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Finsbury Park 5 a side football consultation
I have been down to Finsbury Park to have a look at the the plans and talk to some of the Haringey Council staff about the possible plans for a 5 a side football scheme. Its just initial consultation to gauge public feeling in the area - worth going down for look and a chat.
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park 5 a side, parks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Thanks for the reminder, Karen. I'll have a look.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Ideologically, what is your position with regard to the leasing of public land to the private sector to run a service for only those who can afford to pay? I would imagine that given the ideology of the Labour party that they would be opposed to such a thing... oh... hang on.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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I think the idea of the facility is great but..........
Will there be a pricing schedule that would favour use by locals and offer discounts?
Why on earth are they planning car parking!!!
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Permalink Reply by Danzigger on
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What's so great about it? Is it the way that a private company can charge people money for something they are currently doing for free? Why not privatize the whole park and charge an entry fee?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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THE creeping commercialism of our park began many years ago, when large chunks began being privatised on a temporary basis during the summer for concerts. I was once apprehended by a security guard for running in an area that had been cordoned off. It did not mean anything to them that I was a resident and council-tax payer.
Some years ago, parking pay-and-display machines started appearing. Four of them, inside the park that had not suffered from parking problems. This was both an attempt to raise revenue and to close off an escape route once the Finsbury Park CPZ scheme was extended up Upper Tollington Road and along Oakfield Road. The council has much experience with the parking displacement effect and their CPZ planners are working diligently.
The relentless efforts to monetize our park (paid for with the taxes of our forefathers) will, if unopposed, continue until we have no park left in which to have quiet enjoyment. For the council, it will become a profit centre but still not earning its keep – until the land is sold off.
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Permalink Reply by Omotn on
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Do we interpret then, the Green Flag awards to be, not an attempt at civic altruism, but rather a form of gentrification prior to monetization? I refer to the article in Haringey People "The gree, gree grass of Haringey".
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Thanks for this discussion -- I'd also had several questions about it. Alison, did I understand you correctly that they would be adding 80 car spaces?
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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I have opposed this plan in principle, although I am not against increasing sporting facilities in the park, if done properly. Is the cafe and boating lake run by a private company, albeit on a much smaller scale?
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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I can't include a picture of the plan here, but this is the link to the relevant page on the Haringey site.
The 83 planned car parking spaces occupy about a third of the site. Every time I go past I have a look and try and work out how you could fit that number of cars into that space. It seems very optimistic to me.
I have pasted below the comments received from a comment wall that Haringey organised, I presume at the site a few weeks back. On balance they seem more opposed than supportive of the plans, and raise many of the same issues that have been discussed on this site.
Finsbury Park 5-a-side football consultation: Saturday 26 June
Comment Wall Feedback. These are all the comments posted on our comments board using post-it notes. They have not been edited.
Alternative uses/alternative sites
“Let’s go green. Hackney would get a good annual income from turning this whole area into allotments”
“Plenty of brownfield sites in Haringey could be re-used rather than taking away well-used recreation spaces”
“With other football “spaces” in the area why is there now a need for this in this park – surely if people wanted to they’d already use what already exists”
Consideration of other sports and park users
“Finsbury Park has a wide diversity of sports. Its important that these pitches don’t just cater football!! Hockey/Touch Rugby”
“No more space for football, the park is full of it…people play basketball and volleyball here, there’s no [unknown word] else!”
“There is the Sobell Sports Centre round the corner with 5 aside football – do people use the Sobell? If not why not?”
“This is where all the kids learn to ride their bikes.”
“Five-a-side football is played by a small section of residents. (Mostly male, 20s – 30s) Doesn’t seem like fair use of space (A male, 35)
“There are a lot of mainly men playing football all over this park – no more football in the park”
“Only football? What about all the people who use the courts for other sports? E.g. Cycling for disabled people.”
“Keep courts. More than 100 people playing here every weekend”
“Keep the courts basketball and tennis make it open access (Free)”
Concern about charging
“To close the space off, charge and affect other users of this space is not desirable in my view”
“Accessible free space, just gently renovate!”
“Public common space – how very important that is = Don’t privatize!!”
“Free use for local kids teams!”
“The park is for everyone! Either make it like the tennis courts (anyone can use it) or don’t do it!”
“The space at the moment is free, open, democratic, multi-use and has a sense of freedom and easy access. It should be for all – not closed, alienating and for football only.”
“Private take-over of our public space feels like the thin end of the wedge”
Support
“Great idea. Really needed for the local youth. I truly hope this concept gets the go ahead”
“I like the idea of it but I don’t want to have to be a member”
Reservations with current ideas
“Proposals are poorly designed”
“1) Use the road 2) Wedged shaped car spaces along both side of road”
“The extra cars coming into the park will be a potential congestion problem”
“Only use a section e.g. a third of the space for 5-a-side The rest to be e.g. turned over for relaxation”
“Don’t let local clubs get the monopoly on the pitches – allow for social games”
“Cheap admission at off peak times”
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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
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Here you go (click to enlarge):
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They're asking for 80 and hoping for 30. It's a shame our local religious venues have not thought to provide off street parking...
The parking is a side issue (Mary Neuner Rd can take a thousand cars and more). What's really at stake is a private company being able to charge us to use public land that we could previously use for free. WE use this land at the moment and it will be city boys from Moorgate using it to play football after (and laughing at us).
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