Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors have secured a long-awaited clearance of dumped rubbish in a pedestrian alleyway adjacent to the Archway Road – and they have secured Haringey Council’s agreement to install better lighting.

They have also demanded that Haringey Council intervenes to ensure the removal of newly-installed gates at one point along the path’s length, leaving full access for pedestrians.

The alleyway, which runs along the back of shops and houses between Southwood Lane and Jackson’s Lane, had become almost impassable due to the dumping of builders’ rubbish and other materials. Despite repeated requests, Haringey Council had failed to act for many years until last week, when the alleyway was cleared and the promise of better street lighting given.

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“I am pleased that this belated action has been taken, as the alleyway was an eyesore and a magnet for dumping.

“The job now is to keep it clear, which Haringey Council has agreed to do. Better street lighting at the site will help. I will be monitoring the situation to ensure that the dumping problem is resolved, and working to ensure a right of way through the path.”

A Highgate Lib Dem councillor is calling for urgent action to protect distinguished oak trees at a sensitive Archway site facing a housing development.

Lib Dem councillor Bob Hare has said that Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) are needed at the Tile Kiln Lane site to prevent more loss of trees if further plans are brought forward for buildings on the narrow ‘backland’ site alongside the Archway Road. The branch spread of one of the trees lies above yet more land being marketed as a development opportunity.

The site has been the scene of controversy in recent months, following the granting of permission for a housing development along the lane. Another Highgate councillor and Lib Dem group leader, Neil Williams, argued to the planning committee that the site was too small for such a housing development and expressed surprise at the swift removal by developers of a large Turkey Oak tree. While the oak tree had been found to have been diseased, it was removed the day after a site visit by councillors.

Cllr Hare has asked for TPOs on the following trees:

(1) The oak tree which is at the south end of the waterboard cottage site (about to be developed) and close to the substation (site about to be sold, development possible);

(2) The oak tree on the Thames Water land on the east side and very close to the boundary wall of Tile Kiln Lane.

Cllr Hare comments:

“We need these orders as local residents in the area have worked very hard with us to try to protect the unique character of this site – and they will undoubtedly be dismayed at the possibility of losing further trees. I have asked Haringey Council to consider preservation orders so that developers know they will have to work with the existing level of tree cover. We don’t want to find that the trees are damaged and their life expectancy reduced.”

Over the Easter weekend graffiti was daubed over the fence in front of the collapsed Queen’s Lodge, in Queen’s Avenue, Muswell Hill. The graffiti read: “Corrupt council caused this chaos and destruction”.

Following the collapse of the former Queen’s Lodge (53 – 55 Queen’s Avenue) in February, local Liberal Democrat Councillors Stephen Gilbert and Matt Davies joined with Lynne Featherstone in calling for Haringey Council to open an inquiry. They tabled a motion calling for an inquiry at the last Full Council meeting inquiry, but it was ‘talked out’ by Labour Councillors.

Commenting on the graffiti, Liberal Democrat ward Councillor Stephen Gilbert said:

“I do not in anyway condone this, or any other graffiti, but it is a graphic illustration of the level of anger that local people are feeling towards a council that they believe has let them down.

“Local people are beginning to believe that this is more conspiracy than accident, and Labour councillors preventing a debate on the issue only fuels the impression that the Council has something to hide.

“Only an independent inquiry into how this happened can address local people’s legitimate concern. My colleagues and I will be tabling another motion for an inquiry at the next Full Council meeting, and I am challenging Labour councillors to listen to local people and vote for it.”

Liberal Democrat councillors are stepping up their pressure on Haringey Council to improve road safety in Priory Road, Muswell Hill following two separate accidents within eight days of each other at the end of March. Both incidents involved school children who were crossing the busy road.

The Lib Dems are pushing for two new crossings, backing the Warner Estate Residents’ Association’s calls for a pedestrian crossing to be installed by Danvers Road on Priory Road as well as pressing for another crossing point by Park Avenue North. At last month’s Council meeting the Association presented a petition with 841 signatures expressing their concerns for elderly people and parents with push chairs and prams who were unable to dash across the busy road.

Muswell Hill councillors Lynne Featherstone and Gail Engert have been pressing to obtain funding for the new crossings after the Labour-run council controversially said “no” to funding them. They believe that Haringey Council has not done enough to look for funding, estimated at £80,000 each.

Cllr Featherstone, who attended a meeting earlier this week with the Council, proposed that any negotiations with a supermarket for a store on the Hornsey Waterworks site should include an agreement to pay for two new crossings to compensate for the increase in traffic that the store would create.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“Local residents should not be put at risk on this dangerous stretch of road through Haringey’s inability to fund vital safety measures or its inability to levy money from developers”.

Cllr Engert adds:

“The two recent incidents involving school children have again highlighted the importance of the crossings for Priory Road. We are not convinced that the Council is taking this issue seriously and we will continue to campaign for new crossings to make this road safer.”

Haringey Council has agreed to relax parking controls in one of its own car parks near the Archway Road, to take the pressure off local streets besieged by council-backed road works. The move follows demands from local residents and Highgate councillor Neil Williams (Lib Dem) to ease the parking misery being caused by multiple roadworks of the Council’s own making.

Major gas repair works in Langdon Park Road and ‘The Miltons’ are clashing with Haringey Council’s own works on the Archway Bridge refurbishment – something that could have been avoided, says Neil Williams. The gas works are due to carry on until mid-May, so the Lib Dem councillor has asked Haringey Council to relax the controls on the Tudor Close car park to ease the parking pressure on local streets.

The Council has now told Cllr Williams that it is going to issue a number of additional, short term permits to residents on Langdon Park Road and the lower part of Hornsey Lane Gardens (1-9 odds and 2-26 evens). Letters will be issued this week to the residents and the permits will be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Highgate councillor and Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams comments:

“After several weeks, I am pleased we have the start of some common sense on this issue. The estate car park is often empty, and this should ease the situation which is set to go on for another six weeks. I will be watching closely to see if this action is sufficient, and will be pressing the Council to issue more passes for residents if needed.”

Haringey’s Labour-run council has agreed it needs to improve its poor record on recycling plastics, following pressure from the Liberal Democrats. The opposition party is pressing Haringey Council to include plastics in its door-to-door recycling service, following the example of Lib Dem-led councils such as Lambeth

In a written answer at Council to a question from the Liberal Democrats, the Council has agreed to review the scheme operating in Lambeth.

Lib Dem environment spokesman, Cllr Bob Hare, comments:

“Haringey still has a limited recycling service at present, and even now is in danger of missing rather modest Government targets. Many residents want recycling of plastics, and other wastes such as cardboard, which the Council will still not collect. It is time they moved such programmes forward.”

Note:

Written question and answer from Council meeting:

What plans he has to introduce home-collection of plastic waste for recycling purposes, for example by providing recycling “sacks” for plastic waste as is now the practice in the London Borough of Lambeth?

The Council has rolled out both kerbside & estates recycling schemes across the Borough within the last 8 months. The purpose of this is to enable the Council to meet its statutory recycling target of 10% for 2003/04. These targets are tonnage based, therefore the Council has focused its energies in collecting heavier materials, such as, paper and glass. Conversely the problem with plastics is that it is a light material that occupies a large volume. Therefore the space that it would occupy on vehicles would not deliver the same tonnage outputs as paper/glass. Also, unless compacted, transportation can be expensive and environmentally unfriendly. However, the Council is open to new ideas and will review the ‘Lambeth Scheme ‘ in more detail together with developing joint schemes with its partner authorities in the North London Waste Authority as part of the continuing process in the development of the Joint Waste Strategy.