Lib Dem councillors have triggered Haringey Council’s new ‘call in procedure’ in an attempt to halt Haringey Labour’s controversial attempt to sell-off Coldfall Lodge in Muswell Hill. Lib Dem Councillor Stephen Gilbert says the Labour-run council has taken the decision to dispose of the Lodge to the highest bidder – without the necessary safeguards to protect the area and residents from intrusive development.

The Lodge, situated on the edge of an historic woodland, is now a run-down building in Creighton Avenue, N10, which has been poorly looked after by Haringey. The Lib Dems say the Council’s behaviour raises many questions over the future of the site. They will be demanding answers at next week’s emergency meeting of the Council’s new ‘Overview and Scrutiny’ Committee, which has been called to consider the issue on Tuesday, 20 August.The Lib Dems want to know who was consulted on the sell-off plans and how much of the land is affected.

Cllr Stephen Gilbert comments: “The decision to sell the lodge was taken without proper consultation with community groups or an exploration of other ways to bring the site back into use. I am very concerned about the lack of safeguards from the Council to ensure the any development on the site is appropriate. I will be asking the Scrutiny Committee to force the Council to start again on this one. Along with my colleague Lynne Featherstone I am also consulting residents to see what future they would like for the site.”