Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Wireless event - damage inspection?

I should like to know whether the Friends of Finsbury Park and/or any other stakeholder group will be investigating the condition of the park when the perimeter wall comes down.

I was in the park at 0630 today and the reply to my question about when a route through the restricted area would be available was "some time this afternoon". The steward to whom I spoke told me that "they are building". His response to my puzzled look was "they are building barriers to make it safe".

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on July 6, 2015 at 21:57

Heather, yes, the Friends of Finsbury Park will survey the condition of the park. As soon as the public has access, they might consider reporting to the Friends of Finsbury Park any accounts of damage they witness.

There'll be an assessment by park staff also.

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Permalink Reply by tigha on July 11, 2015 at 18:57

Councillor carter

I wish you had put half as much energy and enthusiasm into stopping some of the numerous mental health health services in Haringay having to close over the last few years- far more admirable crusade than trying to stop a load of young people having good healthy fun

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Permalink Reply by Heather Martin on July 11, 2015 at 19:25

I disagree with "good", "healthy" and "fun" and even if I were in agreement, the point about the intrusive nature of this event would still remain.

I share your concern about the decline of services supporting people, particularly young people, with mental health problems in the borough. However, there are plenty of crusades to go round and we must make our own choices about in which ones we invest our time and energy.

I recommend "The Everyday Activist" by Michael Norton as a useful starting point resource. In Chapter 3, "What's the problem?" he talks about Trigger Points, ie those things which inspire people to take action. For me the Wireless event may well turn out to be a trigger point. I am time-poor, energy-poor and not exactly cash rich but if this is where I am to make a stand, so be it and I can put up with being called a "NIMBY" and "killjoy".

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on July 12, 2015 at 7:57

In walks on Friday and – after Live Nation's clean up – on Saturday, I and others found nuts, bolts and washers; clamps and metal tent stakes and other metals remaining (on the Friday walk, I believe local resident and Member of Parliament David Lammy was genuinely shocked at the state of the park).

This is in addition to what, in places, is severely trampled grass.

On the tennis court side, there are two big gouges in the road, the southern gouge exacerbated by heavy trucks.

Mainly in side-streets, I saw scores of nitrous oxide canisters. AKA "hippie crack". The effects of laughing gas aren't always healthy fun: occasionally it leads to fatality.

Meanwhile, a Haringey spoke-spin credits "the recent hot weather" as having "an effect" on the appearance of the park.

The Council now needs to do a deep clean before their business partner's detritus causes injury to pets, cyclists, small children or just regular park users.

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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on July 12, 2015 at 10:42

Have you photographed these items Clive?

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Stillman on July 12, 2015 at 15:09

yes id like to see photos too

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on July 12, 2015 at 17:34

Yes Ben. Park advocate Martin Ball and others have photographed some of these items. There are so many photos of Live Nation-damage and detritus that an editing job will need to be done. Here's where you can start seeing some of them appearing:

https://twitter.com/MartinBallN17

After photographing them, Members of The Friends of Finsbury Park have picked up some of the more hazardous items.

I hold a number of empty nitrous oxide canisters collected since the festival from three locations, the latest of which was about 50m west of Live Nation's VIP area (outside the steel wall).

These don't play well with motor mower blades.