Liberal Democrats back local residents in fight to stop Hornsey train shed

Posted on 17th Jun 2011 by Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrats have this week backed local residents in their fight to stop a giant train depot being built at Coronation Sidings in Hornsey. A strong consultation response to Haringey Council was made by Hornsey Councillor Robert Gorrie, backed by local Liberal Democrats and Lynne Featherstone MP, following a meeting last week between Network Rail, Residents’ Association chairs and Liberal Democrats.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Local residents are enraged at the plans to build this huge train shed right next to New River Village, and I was delighted to be able to help residents put their concerns directly to Network Rail bosses in the meeting last week.

“I firmly back local residents, the Residents’ Association chairs who came to the meeting, as well as my colleague Councillor Gorrie in their submissions to the consultation. I hope that with such a resounding ‘no’ from the local community, the council will throw out this application, and Network Rail will have to look elsewhere to build their shed.”

Hornsey Councillor Robert Gorrie adds:

“I have been working very closely with residents for the past two years to help them fight these plans. Residents’ Association chairs from the neighbouring area have been very thorough in their review of this huge and complex application. They have worked tirelessly to identify the shortcomings in the plans and I wholeheartedly back them in their opposition.

“My main concerns, which I have made very clear to the Council, are about the lack of transparency in the Network Rail consultants’ selection of Hornsey as the location of the depot, the lack of mitigation proposed for the impact this massive operation would have on local residents, and the lack of information of how the shed would be run by whatever unidentified subcontractor is picked for the job. I hope that the Council will listen to local people and stop this monstrosity.”

What I've been doing this week…

Posted on 19th Jul 2009 by Lynne Featherstone

Just to catch up with some of the events I have attended this week.

One was the consultation / exhibition of the proposals for the new Hornsey Depot. The land is owned by Network Rail and they can and will build this new depot where lots of the new longer trains will come for cleaning etc.

Prime concerns are obviously what this huge depot will look like and its impact on the new, still to be built, Haringey Heartlands housing development; noise, environmental impact; traffic etc.

So the task is to minimise the impact on the community – and ask for as much mitigation as we can get. That includes trying to get residents and businesses that might be affected coming to the exhibition and talking to the agencies involved. Mind you, someone told me that the Haringey failed to mention the proposed depot to the Heartlands developer – even though they have known about it for two years. Really awful behaviour!

It will on the plus side create about 250 jobs – and since the economic development side of Heartlands appears to be on the back burner – that might be welcome – so long as they are local jobs!

This week also saw the latest Stroud Green and Crouch End Area Assembly. Couldn’t stay for all of it but did catch a conservation officer from Haringey Council giving the low down on the change to conservation rules and areas. Strange that a conservation officer should be so cavalier and seem not to wish to protect our local backland sites from crass over-development.

So here we go again – Haringey fails to protect and allows developers to cram awful and non-social housing into the tiny spaces that exist behind rows of houses – often lock-up garages. Lord knows we have fought against this type of rubbish development for ever – but the buggers keep coming back – and of course Haringey just changes the rules to make it even easier for them.

Highgate Horticultural Society had its 150th anniversary – and as ever the blooms were lovely. I gave out the prizes and had a nice cup of tea and a chat. So much work goes into organising these events and they are delightful – but more exhibits are needed and more young new people to challenge the Gary Sycamores of this world who win all the prizes!

Milton Road had its first street party for 30 years. Gosia Shannon who has just moved there is the driving force behind the renewed event. It was really a pleasure to go there and chat to everyone.

Street parties are just the best local community event, getting neighbours together and making it possible for people who may never even have said hello to get to know each other. I met lots of lovely young couples moving into the area or just moved – and one couple who were thinking of moving and who Gosia had insisted come to the party. They thought it was brilliant! So well done Milton Road.

St Ann’s Police Station had its open day – to which I seem to come every year and it was as popular as ever. The young children just love to be able to sit on the police motorbikes and press the sirens – so do I! Most years my favourite thing there is to meet the police dogs – but this year they didn’t have the capacity to send any – so we had police horses instead – see photo. They are just huge!

The Big Lunch at Sue Hessel’s house in Crouch End was fun too. This was happening all over the show – people throwing over their houses and people bringing food round. It was Cllr Lyn Weber’s birthday (I don’t know which one) and Sue had actually baked her a birthday cake!

And last but not least – The Big Canvass! About 40 of us went out in Bounds Green to see what local people wanted to raise with us as issues. Found a lamppost blown over in the wind on Trinity Road! Lots of fun and very good feeling out on the streets there. Lots of issues raised. Lots of doors knocked on.

A trio of local issues

Posted on 1st Oct 2007 by Lynne Featherstone

Evening sees Crouch End, Hornsey and Stroud Green Assembly. First big issue was the new Hornsey Depot development – where we are all worried that the development will steamroller ahead without taking heed of what local people want, albeit that there will be a process of consultation (a development forum prior to planning). Many concerns around school places, health facilities, more traffic and so on!

Then we had a presentation from the local Health Trust on Hornsey Hospital. I remain of the view that this hasn’t been thought through. We must not lose our local GP practises and the services must be what are needed not just what the Trust wants to give us. We need actual detail – none of which is really definitive to date. We want a replacement health facility for Hornsey Hospital – that means additional services to those we have now – and more doctors – not just nicking our existing ones from their local bases and centralising them on the Hornsey site.

Lastly – Parkland Walk. The results of the consultation held at Hornsey Town Hall showed (and we could have told them) that people wanted it first and foremost as a Nature Reserve, then for pedestrians then cyclists; that the drainage was the key priority for improvements, followed by repairs and better access to the walk and so on. Thank goodness local people rallied to the cause – and hopefully Haringey Council will now meet the consultation results with appropriate action.