Highgate Lib Dems have welcomed the start of the actual work to repair Jacksons Lane arts and community centre, but have pointed out that Haringey’s Labour-run council should never have allowed the centre to reach its current state.

Local Lib Dem councillor Bob Hare says that the building, which is listed, was forced to close at the end of last January when high winds caused parts of the stonework to fall through the theatre roof. Since then, the whole centre has been fenced off for safety, and to allow damage and insurance assessments to be made.

The loss of the facility has had a big impact on the Highgate area – and although many of the courses, classes and activities the centre used to run have found temporary homes, many have had to close. One of the most important to Highgate families was the After-School Club – which was especially valuable in helping mums combine work with childcare.

Cllr Bob Hare, who is a member of the Jacksons Lane Board, comments:

“I’m extremely glad to see work starting – it has taken eight months since the damage occurred to get to this stage. Haringey Council should never have let the building deteriorate to the point where it leaked whenever it rained and the structure had become dangerous.

“A stitch in time really would have saved nine. Pushed by local people and local councillors, Haringey was forced to provide some funding to pay for core staff and unavoidable expenses, otherwise Jacksons Lane could have closed for good.

Local MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“It is very sad that the important local facilities Jacksons Lane provided for so many people in Highgate, will have been lost for more than a year, and the fact that Jacksons Lane will be starting from scratch in terms of building back to its formerly rich range of functions.

“The centre depends on its income for its survival, and that will take hard work to stabilise when it re-opens. However, I do believe that the centre’s excellent team will make this happen, but it will be an uphill struggle they shouldn’t have had to endure.”