Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Today, the 18th: please note the state of Finsbury Park
RESIDENTS interested in public parks may wish to note the condition of Finsbury Park today (18 June).
Today could be considered as a baseline measure because 18th June is the last full day before the one-week build-up to the major event period. Tomorrow, Haringey Council's customer (LiveNation) begins erecting the steel barriers that will seal off approximately half our park.
In terms of useable amenity space – i.e. avoiding lake, slopes, buildings, bowling green and running track – this privatised area is closer to three-quarters of our park. This big prime area is to be withheld from ordinary residents, for up to three weeks, near the height of summer.
It will become a building site, with building site rules in force.
The Friends of Finsbury Park will note the condition of our park at the end of the period and compare it with the start (or baseline).
After last year's concert period there was much damage, with the east side (by Seven Sisters Road) so badly trampled that it looked like a cattle yard, with few blades of grass left:
Inner walkways were badly gouged. These remained unrepaired for the past 11 months. New tarmac was laid only last week, just in time for the rental period and for the benefit of the Council's customer.
It does seem that, despite vague claims of reinvestment, there is little to show for the monies raised. The Council appears to put it's customer's interests ahead of regular park maintenance for ordinary public benefit.
Member, Friends of Finsbury Park
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, wireless
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Martin Ball on
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Any photos of how the concerts zone and surrounding area looks today?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Gordon, photos will be taken today.
Our park is 110 acres (46 hectares). We're a voluntary group: please consider taking your own shots, in the areas expected to suffer the most harm: the southern and eastern sides.
(above, I added a link to photos from last year's LiveNation damage).
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Permalink Reply by Gordon T on
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Yes I may well do that. But my point is well meant re FoFP pictures - if someone, anyone is taking a set of 'before' and a subsequent set of 'after' then the viewpoints, camera settings, lighting etc need to be as closely comparable as possible. Is anyone in FoFP a Geograph contributor I wonder (I'm not)?
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Gordon I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with Geograph but thanks for pointing it out.
Since posting this morning, I've been around Finsbury Park with the Chairman of the Friends group Kevin Duffy. Kevin has taken extensive photos on more than one device; I've taken a few too.
One of the things that was apparent to us, is that our park is not entirely recovered from last year's Wireless damage, let alone one or two much more recent events whose scars are all too apparent. It is the east side, adjacent to Hackney, that sustains the greatest hammering.
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Yes, the strip between Seven Sisters Road and the park inner road nearest the Seven Sisters Rd entrance is already worn down (from footfall from the funfairs? The north-eastern half used by ball games looks OK) and there are patches of bare earth which haven't been reseeded after last year's events. I hope the new tarmac on parts of the paths is laid on proper foundations.
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Brilliant idea to do some 'before' photos.
I note from the 'Wireless' info posted through my letter box, that it appears as if on the actual event days, the only access to the park from the station/Islington/main entrance side will be a strip of grass alongside Seven Sisters Rd.; I expect this will get particularly worn down by people trying to use the park even though there will be far fewer than usual. The no. of access points seems to have reduced each year recently. Last year one could walk up behind the tennis courts.
Also,this would seem to be not at all 'inclusive' as even in dry weather, it will be difficult for some less able people to walk on grass, near on impossible for wheelchair users and difficult for people with puhschairs. (And of course there won't be any seats for those unable to walk to the top of the park without taking a rest. )
Bring back Mean Fiddler!
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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I prefer to go to Clissold Park these days as I feel Finsbury Park is not as nice as it used to be. It seems there is always something just ending or coming, in a state of transition and the damage done by the big events is never properly repaired.
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Haringey is asking residents to post photos of the area to celebrate 'Haringey is 50' - it might be worth posting some of the photos of the damage to Finsbury Park .... "My Haringey Photo What does Haringey look like through your camera lens? Take a picture of Haringey, and add the #MyHaringey #Haringey50 and upload it to instagram, twitter or facebook" http://www.haringey.gov.uk/sites/haringeygovuk/files/1096.3_haringe...
In answer to everyone who says Finsbury Park has been used for concerts for 20 years, that's true, but the concerts used to be much smaller, take up less of the park, took less time to set up and take down, only lasted one or 2 days,and didn't use the big solid metal fences (when we used to go to the Fleadh the barriers were smaller and made of a sort of wire mesh, so not so prison like).
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Used to really enjoy those concerts years back, smaller scale, more friendly in all ways. and less damaging.
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Permalink Reply by marian broderick on
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The last time I and some neighbours attended a consultation about this, we were arguing about a three-day concert. Is it me, or is it now suddenly four? Last year TFL specifically told us that Sunday evening concerts were a problem because reduced staff and train schedules mean that thousands of people could get stuck outside Finsbury Park Tube, unable to get home.
Also, is nobody interested in the hundreds of young children who have to get through a Monday at school, having been kept up late on successive Sundays because of noise from the park? Not to mention the state of the area around their school. Who is standing up for them, while Live Nation are making their millions?
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