Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Make a Difference and help change Wood Green High Street
I don't think that I have ever disguised my dislike of Wood Green High Street and it’s never ending pound shops, takeaways and betting shops - Tottenham High Road is almost identical. So fed up of sitting and moaning about it, this weekend I decided to take some action.
Many of you will be aware of the current discussions taking place about rejuvenating Britain’s High Streets with Mary Portas even being appointed government advisor to look into how we encourage more independent retailers back into the high St and we revive this great institution.
Yesterday I had a great conversation with Mary Portas and also the lovely chaps at the Big Green Book shop and with the Karamela cafe on Coburg Road to see if we thought there would be interest locally in creating something exciting on our High St.
This could be anything from helping independent retailers to set up shop in Wood Green and in Tottenham, to ask Landlords to let empty shops be used for pop up shops and to charge a nominal rent for them, to encourage more of a 'scene' in Wood Green and in Tottenham, we have some great things already going on at the Big Green Bookshop and at Karamela and at the Chocolate Factory and yet no-one really talks about them.
I am also keen to work with some of the bigger stores already located in the High St to get them to put their hands in their pockets and help us clear up the High St by donating plants etc to create a garden in the sky to rival Crouch End and the new Roof Garden project taking place in Dalston
I am not talking about gentrification here or turning Wood Green into the next Crouch End just about the community coming together and taking ownership of its High Street and the local area and making it a better place for everyone to visit.
I am sure that everyone has a lot of great ideas and if you would like to get involved I will be setting up a community working group it really doesn’t matter what your talent is if you feel that you have something to contribute I would love to hear from you. Karamela have very kindly agreed to host a get together. This is going to be a huge task but if we work together we can make change happen.
Thanks
Tammy
Tags for Forum Posts: festivals, wood green
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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The pedestrianisation of Wood Green requires the motorwayfication of Wightman Rd.
No it doesn't - a road could be fitted in to the East of the High Road as was planned way back when..
And if there was the money about, it wouldn't take too much technical know-how to fit in a road from Holloway Road and Finsbury Park to Bounds Green /North Circular Road over Railway land..
Anyway Wightman Road isn't an area of outstanding natural beauty is it.. ? Does it acheive anything positive for the area? Compare that with the architectural value of Grand Parade / Green Lanes - well actually there's no comparison..
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Permalink Reply by Carol Tennant on
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The local council are making swingeing cuts across the board. What you suggest would cost millions that they haven't got - and would probably be unwilling to commit even if they did have it. The disruption it would require for the years of re-routing of traffic just wouldn't be worth it in any case. We can't get them to fill existing potholes, for crying out loud, let alone rebuild the whole of Wood Green.
And I have to disagree about the current architectural value of Grand Parade - it's lovely if you look up, but the council have spent years allowing anything of architectural value at street level to be removed. Personally, I think the long strips of Victorian terraces along Wightman Rd have a lot more to recommend them, at the moment.
Tammy's ideas don't require the kind of investment and disruption that Berlin-ifying Wood Green would, but require the local community and shopkeepers to take back some control. I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say at her upcoming meeting. About which, any news yet Tammy?
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The point is Grand Parade is unique .. another row of Victorian terraced houses isn't really very rare in Harringay/Haringey is it..?
Yes, you're right. there's no money about.. but perhaps you should ask yourselves why..OT: Spending money on wars or on Royal Weddings just in order to prove that the country is still 'great' doesn't help either -- you spend your money and you take your choice..
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Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on
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Hi All
Sorry inbwetween learning to knit - and failing and giving poor Carol a headache with my terrible knitting skills and baking cupcakes last night I was following everyones comments.
So this morning I had a little photo taken with the hornsey journal who are running a piece about it - I have asked them to really focus on the bringing the community together and highlighting the great stuff that is already going on - they also spoke to the Big Green Bookshop and Karamel this morning too. They are going to run a follow up piece with a group photo of everyone that is getting involved later on so thats a good start.
Ok now to answer some the issues raised:
Alison - the market place I totally agree is very underused I have only been in once to look for a key cutting shop! It would be great ot beign a bit of life to it with a few more stalls.
Aiden - I agree with most of your points, there is still an empty shop unit next to costa - it was split into 2 I had my photo taken there today and there is stil very sadly the planning application with a deadline fo the 10th of July for Bedfred. Opposite there is also a small marketplace type group of shops saying they have space to rent from £1.50 per sq ft which seems reasonable - its full of mobile phone unlocking shops at the moment but if there is space free could be a place for small businesses to start.
Osbawn - what a fantastic idea, I could really see something like this taking off and what a great way to put us on the map, its certainly something I would be interested in thinking about. I do also agree about the potential for trouble makers to spoil things, but you know what I am sick and tired of this minority of people preventing others from enjoying the place that they live in, so as far as I am concerned it time to fight back and let these people know they are not welcome.
Pamish - thanks for the buger van support - I am not a great lover of red meat or bugers but these guys are pretty fantastic. Also if you do want a gourmet meal in Wood Green we do have the amazing Mosiaca at the chocolate factory, I have had far too many bad and overpriced meals in London and these guys have got it right, their meat comes from Smithfields and fish from billingsgate they have a really amazing and reasonably priced menu - their roast is incredible.
All of the points raised about the design of Wood Green are also spot on - I do remember it before its facelift and it was even worse back then, I dont think we can do much at the moment to influence the design of it, but we could certainly encourage the council to make small changes that would benefit shoppers. I am really not a huge fan of the shopping Mall but we are stuck with it, so I guess we have to work with them to make the best of it ( they still have not responded to my 'lets work together email')
There are a group of us getting together on Sunday the 19th at Karamel to start throwing ideas around and skill and knowledge sharing so if anyone would like to come along do let me know, everyone is welcome.
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I'm not sure that the royal wedding is the only cause of our current lack of funds, actually. I seem to recall something about a load of dodgy bankers... And no, I wouldn't have spent money on that either but we've never been offered the opportunity not to vote for them, so for the moment, we're stuck with them. I'm not going to start talking about the war.
I'm not sure the problems in Wood Green are really much to do with national politics. Historically, this side of the borough has always - and I mean always, not just in recent history - been the poor cousin to the west of the borough. You can trace this back hundreds of years. Hard to see a way out of it where generations before us haven't been able to.
Unique Grand Parade may have been once. Now it's just another row of ugly shopfronts with pretty upstairs bits.
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Totally agree Carol, We should actually embrace our shabbiness - shabby chic is very fashionable!! in all seriousness lets not try and turn ourselves into something we clearly are not - as other posters have said that would just turn many people within our community away from it and possibly isolate them even further.
My feeling right now is about creating a better community - one all feel proud of living in starting with something as basic as some nice planters full of flowers all the way along the High Road, small events that represent our community - we of course have our great fanastid fesital taking place but we could certainly have more smaller events running throughout the year. If you also take the example of somewhere like Church St in Stokey or even Kingsland Road they are both still fairly shabby and yet have an interesting mix of shops - Kingsland Road has been an interesting place to watch develop I used to live near it when you really wouldnt have thought to go anywhere near Dalston, lots of small independent shops have sprung up - alongside some of the older shops, Church Street of course is far more established but its still not glossy - it just looks well worn but taken care of, and no I am not suggesting we turn into either of these places - we want to create our own unique identity so lets do it!
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ok so article gone out in the local rpess today which is great!
also just been made aware of a brilliant project called DIY streets Turnpike lane
The Sustrans DIY Streets project at Turnpike Lane is a two year initiative to deliver – in partnership with the London Borough of Haringey – an affordable, community-led alternative to the homezone concept. The project will focus on the neighbourhood to the southeast of Turnpike Lane underground station, including Langham, Waldeck, Stanmore, Carlingford, Mannock, and Downhills Park Roads.
They are doing some amazing work - again I had no idea that this was alredy going on! I am planning to hook up with them and see how we can help each other!
On a really serious note I am appalled at the cuts announced to local older peoples lunch clubs - as most of you know I actually work for an older persons charity in my day job so its something really close to my heart. I am determined to ensure that as many of our projects are inclusive to older people as possible - they face social exclusion from the community and thats not ok in my book, of course there are lots of younger people in the community we need to engage with as well - children not specialist area so if anyone has any local contacts with youth groups etc please let me know!
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Sorry I also forgot to mention that the night time food market idea is alredy happening in Shoreditch - http://www.timeout.com/london/gallery/1047/red-market/3
I think we can totally make ours a Wood Green inspired one to reflect the amazing diversity in our area
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I just realised I don't know what a " pop-up shop " is. Could someone enlighten me ?
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Hi John
No problem - its basically a short term shop - most stay for anywhere between a week and a couple of months, they generally try and use empty shop units or empty spaces, its a great way for small businesses to get a bigger audience when they cant afford to rent a permenent space and also a great way to add a constantly changing and interesting mix to the High St - its a concept that a lot of High Sts are embracing - the tricky thing is get some of those greedy shop landlords to agree to people renting it short term....
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