Haringey Lib Dems have responded to the Haringey Council’s statutory consultation on future plans for Coleridge School, calling for full and transparent consultation, robust planning and risk assessment, as well as a traffic assessment that addresses all safety concerns.

Lib Dem councillor for Crouch End, Ron Aitken made the response to the consultation following meetings with a number of local residents and parent groups from both sides of the argument along with Lynne Featherstone MP

In the response Cllr Aitken expresses the Lib Dems’ deep concern at Haringey Council’s failure to plan for future demographic growth in Crouch End and the surrounding area.

He highlights that as recently as 1988 the Labour-controlled Council closed a perfectly adequate School in Crouch End (Highgate Wood Lower School in Park Road/Wolseley Road) and attempted, unsuccessfully, to sell it to Waitrose. It was eventually sold for housing following a fire at the site.

The Lib Dems acknowledge the importance of resolving this situation, particularly for the parents of the children expecting a place on the Coleridge/ TUC site for 2006, and have asked the Council to ensure provisions are made for this year.

However, the Lib Dems emphasise that the long-term solution must be reached with a thorough consultation and the full results and comments published so that parents can see how the decision was made.

Both Cllr Aitken and Lynne Featherstone MP acknowledge that the conclusion reached by the Council may not please everyone, but they say that the Lib Dems will fight to ensure that the Council addresses and investigates the concerns of all interested parties thoroughly.

Cllr Aitken (Crouch End) comments:

“Haringey Council has a poor record on consultation and I think this is adding to the concerns of local parents. The Lib Dems aim to ensure that all sides are heard and that a solution is achieved which involves the community as a whole and addresses the long-term needs of children in Haringey.”

Cllr Lynne Featherstone, MP adds:

“If parents and local residents are properly consulted and the best solution put forward as a result – then we can all unite around that solution. If parents and local residents feel that the consultation is not genuine or rushed – then the risk will be a divided community. Haringey must do this properly so that the vital school places that everyone wants are provided in the best possible way.”