Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum applies to Haringey for recognition

This is the latest mailshot from the Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum, which is on the very brink of applying to the London Borough of Haringey for official recognition under the Localism.

If you live / work / have an interest in Crouch End, or if you just happen to be close by you can support the forum by being a signatory or affiliating your local Residents' Association / Neighbourhood Watch / Lunch Club / Special Interest Group.

The members of the steering group are currently working on a series of documents to submit to Haringey in order for us to be recognised as a Neighbourhood Forum.To lend your weight to the application you can be one of its signatories by emailing us at crouchendforum@gmail.com with your name and address. Don’t worry, this doesn’t involve any further commitment other than an expression of support for our efforts to be recognised. But if you do want to get more involved in writing the plan, we’d love to hear from you!The two main documents we will be producing are:1) a definition of Crouch End2) a statement setting out the ways in which we satisfy the statutory criteriaOur target date for submission is 28th August.

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/cb1025a24733dd53eb12c7fdf/images/76e6..." width="264" class="CToWUd a6T"/>

A Definition of Crouch End - in order to be accepted as a Neighbourhood Forum we must draw a line round what we believe is Crouch End, and then persuade Haringey that we have got it right. The blue line on this map shows where we are drawing the line at present. For a bigger version click here.

This map has some natural boundaries and some more difficult to define.

We started off by having a guess at where the lines might be drawn. Existing boundaries with the Highgate and Crouch Hill Forums, and with Islington gave a good start. Then we started refining. We asked, on-line and at our Couch End Festival stall, where people think that they live and plotted this by post code. A postgraduate researcher used data from the internet to help us.

Residents and users of some important landmarks have told us yes or no - the residents of Chettle Court say they are in Crouch End, as do the governors of Hornsey School for Girls, but the Friends of Priory Park have done a lot of work with the residents and councillors of Hornsey and want to remain outside Crouch End. A number of walkaboutsasking "Is this Crouch End?" added to our data, and the blue line on the map is our current view of the boundary.

No matter how long we continue this process we will always find questions over exactly where the border will be - luckily this can be addressed in the future - for example just because Priory Park is not in our Area does not mean we cannot argue on its behalf should the need arise. If you find yourself outside the Area, but use Crouch End as your local shopping/cultural centre/work place, you and your opinion are still welcome at our meetings. Drawing the line satisfies a legal requirement, it does not create a barrier.
If you are a member of a local community or religious group or can represent a local business, do get in touch with us about joining the Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum as an affiliate organisation. We’re really happy to come and talk to your group about what we’re doing, how we can support you and how to get involved. We're on the look out for people who love Crouch End to lend a hand with the CENF. If you're interested, get in touch with us at crouchendforum@gmail.com.Please do pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested, and we look forward to hearing from you!If you have not already, please fill in our online questionnaire.All the best,
Crouch End Neighbourhood Forum

Tags for Forum Posts: crouch end neighbourhood forum

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Hugh on July 30, 2015 at 14:11

I'd largely agree with the boundary with the exception of Park Avenue and Farrer which I'm very surprised to see within any Crouch End boundary outside of an estate agent's office.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Renato B on July 31, 2015 at 0:44

Before even reading your message, I thought the same when I looked at the map.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark Crouch End on July 31, 2015 at 10:29

Hello Hugh and Renato. I take your point, and we at the CE forum originally thought much the same. Though I guess we always knew that the Palace Gates corner was going to be tricky to categorise (as was much of the boundary between Hornsey and Crouch End - no line has existed previously of course).

What changed things was the field work - in our various map-plotting consultations 70% of responding residents on the two roads identified as Crouch End rather than Hornsey. So we investigated further, contacting local groups (Friends of Priory Park) and residents associations (incl. the Warner Estate RA), running two 'walkabouts' of the area - and canvassed all the businesses along the shopping parade that runs at the top of Park Road and Priory Road (in the end we had 30 responses from the immediate Farrar/Park Rd/Park Ave S area that we identify as 'Crouch End' - 57% Crouch End, 23% Hornsey, 20% don't know).

And the short of it is, that's what's on the map!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Hugh on July 31, 2015 at 10:33

Can't say fairer than that. It sounds like a thorough and effective methodology that I wouldn't argue wth at all. May I ask what your reposne rate from the residents was.

Thanks for dropping by to answer.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Hugo Read on August 7, 2015 at 6:26

Great map. Talking about the same kind of area Hugh was, I'm amazed that Priory Park isn't in Crouch End. Having lived for 12 years in Palace Road (right by Priory Park) and used Priory Park every day, I very much considered it part of Crouch End and would have laughed if someone said otherwise. However, I suppose I can see that it can be called Hornsey too.

I find it odd (and unworkable?) that Park Avenue South is split seemingly randomly, with the last few houses before Priory Road being out. I presume that line is just after the alley that goes to the park. I would have thought the whole road needs to be in Crouch End. Same for Farrer (taking the opposite view of Hugh!). A split seems random, it needs to be in or out!

On that area in general, I would have though the whole triangle inside Park Road and Priory Road should be in. It's a simple and obvious boundary. That's just speaking as someone who lived for many years in that corner of Crouch End (but a confirmed Harringay resident now!).

Superb work though.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Omotn on July 31, 2015 at 10:36

Two of our members approached the shopkeepers in the area. Most on the Priory Road side thought of themselves as Hornsey, while on Park Road the view was that they were in Crouch End. Hence the line along the back garden fences.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Arkady on July 31, 2015 at 10:11

I'd argue that it's a mistake to include that part (or any) of Mount View Road. It's in Stroud Green Conservation Area like the vast majority of the road. Why not run the line along the garden fence-line as you have done elsewhere? The ridge is the physical and psychological boundary.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Arkady on July 31, 2015 at 10:15

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Omotn on July 31, 2015 at 10:34

That was our original take on the boundary, but while the ridge is a physical demarcation, the reservoir is a much more significant psychological one. The great majority of residents on that stretch of Mountview think of themselves as Crouch Enders.