An item at tonight's Council Cabinet meeting has thrown into question the future survival of Haringey's two warehouse districts and the artistic communities who live in them.
Both the Harringay Warehouse District and the Fountayne Road community now face an uncertain future following the publication of a Haringey Council report, "Tackling Unauthorised Living in Industrial Areas". (Report attached)
The report, which was discussed at the full cabinet of the Council today, recommends a two-year project costing £600,000 which will seek to deal with "the growing problem of unauthorised residential and live work uses in and around (the) Industrial Sites" in Haringey. The recommended process is "to establish a special multi-disciplinary team to fully investigate and address the problem through a combination of regulation, improvement, enforcement and, where necessary, prosecution".
The alarm bells were ringing for me since earlier in the week I had discovered that these areas are earmarked as being amongst those that will "will accommodate the majority of development in the borough over the next 20 years".
In Facebook and Twitter conversations this afternoon, warehouse residents shared their fears that the vibrancy their communities bring to the borough will be overlooked and their communities sanitised and destroyed.
In response to my Twitter requests to Council Leader Claire Kober this evening to protect these communities, Cllr Kober sought to offer some reassurance:
@harringayonline some people in unacceptable conditions. My concern is for safe, decent properties. No intention to undermine communities
@harringayonline no intention to damage what's good. Priority is to go after rogue landlords just as we do elsewhere in borough
When I asked if she would ensure that warehouse residents will be involved, the Council Leader replied:
@harringayonline don't see any problem involving residents. Will ask officers to consider how best to achieve
I very much hope that the approach the Council takes in this project will support these communities rather than beginning the process of whittling them away.
Tags for Forum Posts: local plan, local plan 2014, site allocation plan, warehouse district
Some Americanisms are wonderful colourful, playful additions to our common language. Some are full circle developments from the Elizabethan English that went over on the Mayflower; some are modern-day responses to current circumstances. Either way, why on earth should we be afraid of them? Our language is a living thing. It will develop with the ebbs and flows of the world. Why on earth should we try and resist American additions any more that we should reject Indian ones, African, French ones or German ones. Our language is as rich as it is because it has always adapted to invasions and welcomed linguistic immigration.
Having said that, as we all know, English linguistic purism exists in myriad forms. Thankfully it has never been formalised in the same way it has in countries like France. So English is not one of the 100+ languages 'protected' by a council of the 'good and great'.
We all meet English purists of various sorts on a daily basis, but most of them are just dabbling. The real fundamentalists of English purism hark back to a language free from all imports..............since 1066. They advocate a modern English based on our pre-Norman tongue. Below is an example given by Steven Wills in his book on 'Loan-free' English:
The Avon Clove is a 2.5 thm. dale that runs through a limestone ridge on the Avon rith between the town of Bristol (England) and Avonmouth. The clove was formerly a busy ea-faring road. In the H18th the dale was delved for stone to build the town. The steep walls of the clove bear some seldseen wights and worts, such as the inborn Bristol and Wilmot whitebeams. The clove has an inner loftlay of 1 mete above the umbsettings. The steep, south-west wended sides beget the afternoon sunlight but are somewhat sheltered from onblowing winds. The steep walls make a firsthold dwelling for faring falks, as well as jackdaws and horseshoe bats. Given its earthfrod and breedstock, the clove has become a warded wildstead. Sunder breeds of worts can be found, inholding the narrow ballockwort.
Notes: clove ‘narrow valley with steep sides’ (from ‘cleave’; cf. Du. Kloof); thm ‘thousandmete’ ‘km’; rith 'river'; ea <OE ‘river’, wights and worts ‘plants and animals’, OE wiht 'creature, being'; loftlay 'climate' (cf. Ic. loftslag); umbsettings 'surroundings' (OE ymbe ‘around’);
So, if you're feeling fundamentalist about English, explore more at the Anglish Wikia site. For starters, try this page about book on the subject of how we'd speak if the Englis....
Sounds like there's stuff that needs fixing. I imagine that would be the case in many areas. I hope that neighbouring communities like yours can be offered input in the process too, Sharon.
Look at this map, Sharon. The area is much more extensive that the bit that borders Tiverton.
I think they have been a bit insular, but last year they did seem to start reaching out with the Catwalk party and the like. Perhaps the dialogue will develop over this issue. It's often external threats that bring communities together
You may have only heard it on here, Sharon, but it came originally from the people who live in the warehouses.
Most of the promotion was online in fairness - I'm not sure why they chose to do it that way but suspect it had more to do with it being a mostly young community, not deliberate exclusion. I also live very Catwalk Place but would not have known about the event if I didn't regularly do a lot of digging online.
Which shops would you have put leaflets in out of interest? Not having a go, just genuinely curious to know where are good places to build publicity locally. I'm guessing the Community Hut would have been a good place to start.
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