A popular café in Muswell Hill was saved from developers this week after the Planning Inspectorate dismissed an appeal to build a new restaurant. Local Liberal Democrats welcomed the decision to save the Cherry Tree café and said it was a “victory for common sense.” Cllr Jonathan Bloch who made representations opposing the original application and Cllr Gail Engert who attended the appeal hearing were overjoyed at the decision.

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, comments:

“This was a victory for common sense. The current cafe called Cherry Tree is a much-loved local institution. The developers have been trying to bring in an up market restaurant for many years. Local residents, supported by their local Liberal Democrat councillors, have rallied behind their local greasy spoon where meals are sold at affordable prices. I hope this heralds a sea change amongst the inspectorate staff attitude and that they will as in this instance give due emphasis to local feeling.”

Cllr Gail Engert, adds:

“The owners of the Cherry Tree are delighted. Their café is a prime example of a popular local enterprise that we were right to fight to protect from wholly inappropriate development.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone and the Head Teacher of a Muswell Hill primary school are today welcoming the news that year 6 Science SATs will be scrapped, only two weeks after they presented a survey showing local concern about the controversial testing directly to the Schools Minister.

Coldfall Primary Head Teacher Evelyn Davies and the Liberal Democrat MP are now calling for the Government to take the SATs scrapping further and also include English and Maths in the plans.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am glad to have been able to help the Muswell Hill teachers tell the Minister responsible just how concerned they are about these tests. But only scrapping Science tests simply doesn’t go far enough.

“As the Coldfall teachers demonstrated so well in the meeting last month, SATs are the wrong way to test kids at the end of primary school. The Government needs to listen to the experience of our local teachers and scrap Maths and English SATs as well.”

Evelyn Davies, Head of Coldfall Primary School, adds:

“I am very pleased that Ed Balls is reviewing the testing regime for primary children and would strongly urge the government to go further than just abolishing the science SATs.

“All the current national tests for both 6/7 year olds and 10/11 year olds should be abolished and replaced by robust teacher assessment based on children’s ongoing learning across the curriculum.

“It is absolutely essential that all areas of children’s learning and achievement are valued and that children leave primary school as confident, well rounded individuals with a love of learning and the skills for life long learning.”

A bus stop in Muswell Hill, which was removed after being damaged in an accident in December 2007, was finally restored to full operation last week after a new countdown timer was installed.

Local councillor Gail Engert welcomed the move by Transport for London after a successful campaign for the timer to be installed at the bus stop on Priory Road.

Cllr Gail Engert, Muswell Hill, comments:

“I am glad that this has finally been installed. It has taken a while, but it is good news for local bus users.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Residents would have had to have a large stopwatch to count down the time it has taken Transport for London to install this timer.

“Good information is key to getting residents out of their cars and onto public transport so I am pleased that this has been introduced.”

The refusal by Haringey Council’s planning department to grant a local resident permissionto create a gated house in Muswell Hill Road has been welcomed by local residents and Liberal Democrats.

The proposal to install automated gates in front of 54 Muswell Hill Road was met with widespread dissatisfaction among local residents who submitted twenty-five letters against the application saying that it was not in keeping with the surrounding area.

Muswell Hill Liberal Democrat councillor Jonathan Bloch, who made representations to the planning department and has restated his call for a conservation area to be implemented, comments:

“What the owners were proposing was grotesque. It was out of keeping with the area and by using electronic gates it would have cut the house off from the road, promoting a feeling of exclusivity.

“Local residents want their area to be protected – the best way forward is for Haringey Council to consult with local people as soon as possible on the implementation of a conservation area. If not, time and time again, developers will try to ruin the uniqueness of Muswell Hill.”

Following a meeting in February with Muswell Hill Post Office bosses to raise her concerns about the long queues at the Broadway branch, Lynne Featherstone MP has this week received news of queue cuts in March, with the average peak-time wait down to 3.32 minutes per customer.

This follows the Liberal Democrat MP’s Post Office waiting times survey earlier this year that reported waiting times of up to 50 minutes in the Broadway branch, with an average waiting time of 12 minutes per customer.

The Muswell Hill office manager Tina Mulcahy has successfully cut waiting time since the February meeting by increasing efficiency with a new ‘queue hosting’ system, fast tracking elderly and disabled people who have difficulty standing for long periods of time and dedicating certain counters to specialist tasks, like passports, tax disc renewal and mail redirection.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I’m so pleased to see how Tina and her staff have risen to the challenge and really done their best to cut waiting times!

“This shows that some steps can be taken to improve the customer experience. But sadly I am aware that too many local Post Offices continue to suffer as a result of last year’s closures.

“It was wrong of the Labour Government to close our local sub-Post Offices. And even with reduced queues at Muswell Hill, that does not help people who now have a long journey to get to their nearest Post Office.

“Rest assured, the battle for Post Offices to be reopened, to bring local postal services back to our local parades and to stop plans for more closures continues!”