Green Lanes

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Gun crime, murder, drugs and gangs have given Green Lanes in Haringey a bad reputation. A lot of work has gone on to change this – by the police, the Council, the local traders and the communities themselves. Today the police have organised an event in cooperation with partners to bring everyone together in a ‘Harringay Unity Event’ to celebrate the good things in this area.

And what a successful event it was. Music and food and dancing and speeches from all involved showing that the good far outweigh the bad – and if we all pull together this area can flourish and be safe. The Turkish community were out in force and it was a wonderful display of togetherness – I am very optimistic about this sort of approach in terms of fighting crime.

Hornsey Town Hall

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Meeting in All Bar One in Crouch End for a drink with a local group called Crouch End for People. They are a group who were born in a fight against a CPZ proposal by Haringey Council who held a huge public meeting.

Although that issue went away (rejected) they have maintained that they have a mandate to speak on anything concerning Crouch End, in this instance the future of Hornsey Town Hall. There is another group called ‘Friends of Hornsey Town Hall who are composed of cross-party local councillors and are also working on proposals for the Town Hall with the council and local people.

Although as far as I can see both the two groups both want the Town Hall to be developed as a community facility for arts and help – there is divergence about the car park, the possibility of a new school on the site and a few other issues on which they have not been able to resolve their differences to date.

I have offered both groups my expertise on transport issues – as whatever gets developed it is crucial to get the public transport, car access and travel planning right from the beginning.

It is a really good meeting and they are excellent people, who as far as I can see just want something really good to come out of this and who have been scared of anything Labour-run Haringey Council produces (rightly in my view).

I do explain, however, that when it comes to funding, no funding agency will fund a divided project and will not back a freelance ad-hoc group. So my advice is unequivocally for the groups to unite.

There is only one key point of difference which comes out in our talks really – and that is the development of the car park. I give them my view that the car park is not something either group should be focusing on anyway. The first priority is to work out what is to be provided on the site and that will dictate to a great extent the transport needs of that site. There may or may not be a need for some car parking – and if there is and there is room it should be provided. Equally, if the idea is to attract a 1,000 people on a night to a theatre or whatever, the site could not sustain a car access emphasis.

So I leave them with the advice to join forces and move forward together – that way I think Hornsey Town Hall could be developed as a fabulous resource both for the local community in Crouch End and the wider area.

London transport awards

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Go on the tube to Green Park. Red lipstick, high heels and the Jubilee line are not a great combination – but needs must. Totter down Piccadilly to hotel and into reception. Immediately gravitate to table seating plan to find I am on table No 2 (not quite the ticket – yet!) as a guest of Transport for London.

The evening is the London transport awards ceremony. The Robert Gordon University (which is basically David Begg who is Labour’s top adviser on transport and generally all-round good egg) had previously done this at the national level – but this was the first London one.

Of course, given that London and Transport are currently synonymous and sexy – this was a very over-subscribed event with over a hundred people wanting tickets that were sold out very early on. All the transport stars were there – Peter Hendy (MD Street Management, TfL), Tim O’Toole (MD London Underground/TfL), John Weight, (Chief Exec

Metronet). Dave Wetzel, (Vice Chair TfL Board), Derek Turner (ex TfL and the man who introduced congestion charging to London) and many others including John Snow – who was to compare the awards themselves.

Chitter chatter, chitter chatter at the pre-dinner reception. Tim O’Toole had clearly been reading this blog and was laughing (I think laughing) about my references to him as a schmoozing American lawyer type. He said that I made him sound like a snake-oil car salesman! And why couldn’t I have mentioned that he managed train companies. I explained it was meant to be a compliment (I like smart Americans who schmooze). Actually, I have a very high regard for him and Peter Hendy in their management skills – that doesn’t mean I won’t give them a hard time – that’s my job!

Peter Hendy had left a message on my ‘phone the previous evening saying he wanted to brief me on the bendy buses that keep bursting into flame. So he came over to ask why I hadn’t called him back. Basically, I had just been tied up non-stop. However, I did appreciate that he had called to brief me. I think the key point about the bendy buses is that as far as I can gather they are not bursting into flames because they are bendy – but because there is a manufacturing fault of some sort. So a manufacturers’ recall is a good thing!

Into the dinner. I am next to Peter Field who has the power to give and take away from bus franchise companies outside of London – an interesting dinner companion and on my other side, Ben Plowden who is borough liaison for TfL. Dinner passes happily barring my losing a filling and half a tooth – which while not painful in itself is cutting my poor tongue to ribbons.

Then we come to the awards themselves. I won’t troll you through the lot – suffice to say that the best innovation, the best borough, the best this and the best that were all sponsored and awarded. I was pleased to see appropriate recognition of the companies and authorities who are putting real effort into advancing transport in London. Of course, one of the big winners of the evening (I think it was for most innovative) was Transport for London for the Congestion Charge – rightly deserved in my view!

Roger Sylvester

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Battle stations! A meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) with a hot, hot item on the agenda.

At a meeting of a sub-committee of the Authority, a majority vote granted funding to eight Haringey police officers to apply for judicial review of a coroner’s verdict of unlawful killing on the death of Roger Sylvester in custody. The eight are currently suspended following that verdict.

Coming from Haringey myself, where there has been more than one black death in custody – I am acutely aware of the community’s opinion of policing and discrimination.

My colleague on the MPA Graham Tope is one of the ones that voted the funding for the officers through. Having taken advice – it would seem that the situation is that there is a presumption to fund officers to fight their legal case if what they are accused of happened whilst they were carrying out their job.

The Home Office guidance, which I read, appears to allow ‘discretion’ on the part of police authorities but advises that the presumption is in favour of funding.

All the night before I am mulling over the rights and wrongs of all of this. I want to fulfill my duty as a member of the MPA but feel very strongly that I cannot simply vote through funding that if taken to its conclusion may result in the verdict (although having to be redone) being overturned – when I feel that this man did die because of rough handling.

On the other side – if (as is the case) a judge believes that there were so many flaws in the legal process that he has given the officers leave to apply for judicial review – then I as a member of the Police Authority must facilitate justice.

In the meeting we are given legal advice to guide us – it helps not one bit – and end up juggling ‘discretion in terms of duty to fund’ versus ‘our responsibility under the GLA act to have consideration to the effect of our actions in terms of equalities’.

It is clear that every single member of the Authority will speak on this. As we go around the table there are many and very strong views. When we come to Peter Herbert, a black member and judge, he gives an impassioned speech against the funding – but appears to go completely over the top and other members feel insulted by his angry rant. He later says that he just was so angry he could not help himself. He is completely supported by Cindy Butts who speaks next and says that if we (the authority) make a decision to fund the officers and the Sylvester family, who are present, that is a cop out.

I didn’t feel it was a cop out – I thought it was a just solution – and in the end that is the way the authority voted. We will fund both the officers and the family (if the latter is legally possible – and if it isn’t, then we will fund neither).

For myself – I felt it my duty to facilitate justice and would fund officers to defend themselves. I cannot imagine that had these been black officers that there would be any question of not funding them. However, I believed it equally my duty to make sure that the family could fight this on equal terms by funding them. Perhaps, more to the point for me, was that I do not want any question mark hanging over the coroners’ verdict. It was a milestone in race relations with the police that this verdict was arrived at. If it survives a judicial review and a re-verdict – then no one will be able to question its authority and only then will the force and the politicians look at the issue around restraint and how to quantify ‘reasonable’.

I think we came to the right solution – but there in the room was a lot of real nastiness and many agendas on display. I sometimes feel quite despairing about race relations. You can only ever succeed if you deal absolutely straight with what is – and the forces of evil are definitely around on both sides on this one.

HIGHGATE – PROGRESS AS AGENCIES COME TOGETHER OVER TUBE SITE

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GLA member Lynne Featherstone and Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors have welcomed progress made at a meeting on the controversial embankment works at Highgate Tube station on the Archway Road. The works, which are necessary to address potential subsidence of the road down the steep embankment, have caused misery to local residents, with in particular the removal of several mature trees and undergrowth on the site causing increased noise and pollution on surrounding roads.

The meeting, organised by Lynne Featherstone, brought together residents groups with officials from London Underground, Tube Lines, and Transport for London, who were frank in admitting a lack of co-ordination between the responsible bodies in the past. The meeting agreed that a secure fence, which will reduce noise, was an urgent priority for the site, and works should minimise the visual impact of the crash barrier that will accompany the scheme on the pavement side of the fence. The issue of replanting the site was also addressed. Further consultation meetings will be held to look at the details for the planting scheme for the embankment.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“An exercise in knocking heads together was sorely needed on this project – and we have made some progress. However there needs to be co-ordination over the fencing and planting issues, and also over other matters such as the location of the bus stop when the works are finished.”

Cllr Bob Hare (Highgate ward) adds:

“It was a useful meeting and there will be real benefit from the wider pavement on what has been a narrow walkway. We will continue to press for fencing proposals along the Priory Gardens side of the site, as the noise there is causing a misery for residents. We are also asking for the crash barrier to be made as unobtrusive as possible, and for the issue of planting along the fence, as well as on the embankment, to be fully explored.”

Download minutes of the Highgate station meeting here (rtf format).

Highgate tube station

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Highgate tube summit!

This is the meeting (finally) for which I had to do some serious banging of heads together to make happen. Anyway – Tube Lines, London Underground and Transport for London grandees all in attendance. And in the yellow corner – representatives from the residents groups around the station where London Underground’s works to save Archway Road from falling down the embankment have turned the site into earthy hell – nothing but desecration, lost trees and vegetation and mud!

A hectic and quite emotional meeting (at least from the residents’ side) then ensues – the upshot of which is that the powers that be agree to return to the table in about a month with proposals that meet the residents’ concerns. Said concerns are about the re-vegetation, the fencing which needs to be aesthetic and stop noise and the placement of the bus stop and bins.

It may sound prosaic – but we in Highgate will have to live with all of this for the next century – and it is exactly the sort of rough ill-considered finishing that I am trying to protect residents from. London Underground are functional (which means they would simply put up a barbed wire topped chain link fence to stop kids climbing over) – they are not usually designers of attractive work which enhances the area. We will see what they come back with.

It's nearly over at the GLA

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Penultimate meeting of my Transport Committee at the London Assembly. Can’t believe the four years is already up!

We are meeting briefly in formal session to run over our ‘continuity’ paper which will go forward into the new term of office and summarizes our work over the four years. Apparently we have produced virtually twice as much as any other committee of the Assembly – no wonder I feel knackered.

More seriously – transport has always been the issue of the day and there were a million more things I wanted to do – but time is always limited. Hopefully – I will be able to carry on next term of office. I will certainly remain LibDem Transport spokesperson, but as to whether I am Chair again – that will depend on the numbers of each party that the election on June 10 delivers at the GLA! (See www.londonelects.org.uk for more details about the elections).

Then we went into informal session to haggle about our road humps, tram and LTUC reports. Needless to say – there was a hot debate on our proposed recommendations for the hump report – so watch this space.

MUSWELL HILL – NEW COUNCILLOR WELCOMES ODEON REFUSAL

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Newly elected Muswell Hill Lib Dem councillor Gail Engert has welcomed the decision by Haringey’s planning committee to refuse a controversial application to build an additional storey on the flats that form part of the Odeon cinema building in Muswell Hill.

Ms Engert, who raised her concerns on the issue during her successful by-election campaign, says that adding another level, including a bridge over the car park entrance with flats above, would have spoiled the appearance of a much-loved local landmark, with its classic silhouette.She has pledged to monitor closely any future planning application for the site.

Cllr Gail Engert comments:

“I am relieved that this application has not had the go ahead. This proposals was literally ‘over-the-top’ and would have ruined the look of the building, as well as piling yet more pressure on the parking and social infrastructure in Muswell Hill.

“I will be watching closely for any further plans that developers may have for the building.”

Burlington Road

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Meeting with residents of Burlington Road in Fortis Green, Haringey who have had their peaceful cul-de-sac turned into a school entrance to Fortismere and Blanche Neville.

Yes – when Jarvis built a new sports hall at the end of their road, Haringey Planning put conditions on the development so that this would not become an entrance or at least only for a small number of peripatetic teachers.

But being Haringey they failed to build the fence to stop children using it. They don’t care that the school has put Burlington Road on its letterheads as an entrance and they show absolutely no intention of enforcing the planning conditions. No wonder the residents are feeling powerless against these broken promises.

I have already had one meeting with Haringey Council’s Chief Exec about this and taken him to the site to show him the appalling state of the road – ruined by contractors’ lorries. I have extracted a promise to really consult with residents over the replanting of the area and to review the state of the street.

Now it seems, I will have to go back into action to ensure the fence is built and the address changed. The Chief Exec’s argument so far about the school using Burlington Road as an address is that they won’t be able to get post if they don’t. Nonsense – how does he think they got mail before this entrance was created?

HIGHGATE CPZ – ACTION TAKEN TO REDUCE STREET CLUTTER

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A Highgate councillor has welcomed moves by Haringey Council to reduce the enormous amount of streetclutter that often goes hand-in-hand with the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the borough. Cllr Neil Williams, who represents Highgate and leads the opposition Lib Dem group, says that local pressure means that the Council is now working to reduce the number of signs and poles in the Cromwell Avenue area in the run up the start of the CPZ.

Local councillors and residents say that the CPZ is being introduced in a sensitive site, where the rules of the conservation area should be fully applied. Subject to the owners’ permission, Cllr Williams wants controlled parking signs applied to the walls of properties, rather than through the installation of a forest of poles in the Cromwell Avenue area.

Following discussions within the Council on obtaining the consent of home owners for this to happen, the Council has been knocking on the doors of local residents seeking consent to erect signs on walls where appropriate.

In a further move, Cllr Williams has also been working to remove unused disabled bays planned for the new scheme, some of which appear to be redundant.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“This is good news, as we need to keep to a minimum the street clutter which can be created by a CPZ.We have seen on other local roads how an army of poles can become a serious eyesore. Many residents are being very co-operative in granting permission for signs to be erected on walls, and this is all to the good.”