Public meeting demanded for new concrete factory application

Posted on 7th Aug 2008 by Lynne Featherstone

Haringey Liberal Democrats have demanded a public meeting for local residents to have their say on a new planning application for the concrete factory in Cranford Way, N8.

London Concrete was given planning permission to build the concrete factory on appeal in June 2006 despite significant opposition from local residents and councillors. However the planning inspector imposed a significant number of conditions on the permission.

The new application appears to make modifications to conform to these conditions.

Details of the new application can be found on the Haringey Council website planning portal under application number HGY/2008/1574

Stroud Green Liberal Democrat Councillor Ed Butcher comments:

“Our community was devastated by the planning inspector’s decision to give the go ahead to this hideous development, but there was a tiny glimmer of hope in the conditions he imposed that might reduce the impact.

“I find it very disappointing that a new application has been lodged slap-bang in the middle of summer when many residents are away.As local councillors, we will do our utmost to make sure as many people are made aware as possible.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“People who are going to be affected should now have a right publicly to scrutinise these new plans to make sure they conform 100 per cent to all the requirements imposed by the planning inspector.

“The views of local people were completely ignored when the original permission was finally granted.Now is the chance to give them some power back, in making sure that what is built is done to the letter of the planning permission given.”

Haringey Youth Council

Posted on 19th Oct 2007 by Lynne Featherstone

Haringey Youth Council question time Yesterday, having spent the hours between 6am and 9am writing, emailing etc about the leadership contest – as it is all an add on and not instead of my day job – I catch up on emails, letters etc from residents before going to West Green Learning Centre for ‘Politicians’ Question Time’ organised by Haringey Youth Council (Adam and Shayan).

As ever, the young people who come to this sort of event are as bright as buttons. I absolutely love hearing what they say – and particularly this time as one of the girls made several comments of phenomenal depth, with well-observed views made with passion.

I have suggested to her and her school friends who were there that they come up to Parliament to see me to take the discussions on. I am already tabling Parliamentary Written Questions based on those submitted through Adam and the Youth Council.

But as my young friend said – she doesn’t want to be a tick box for politicians to make them feel good about having ‘engaged’ with young people and she wants the issues for debate to be what she wants – not what politicians decide they want to discuss! Very impressive!

The standard of questions and comments from everyone else was pretty high. Issues the came up included the balance between punishment for young people behaving badly and alternatives and the ‘labelisation’ of young people with the ‘ethnic minority’ tag (very interesting discussion!). Much food for thought.

I’ve also agreed to go again to Hornsey School for Girls – as the Headmaster thought that there would be about 100 students interested enough to come to a similar event there.

Encouraging practical alternatives to car ownership

Posted on 8th Jun 2007 by Lynne Featherstone

Met Lynne Featherstone MP seeing how the Islington Streetcar street club works with Streetcar. This is a car club. For those who don’t know – car clubs are just that. You become a member of the club and you can ‘buy’ access to a car, which will be stationed relatively near to you for an hourly, or 24 hour fee. It’s secured with a sort of version of the Oyster Card that unlocks the door – and then you have a pin number to feed into a gismo that removes the immobiliser and releases you the key to start it up.

There was one (well two actually) parked on the special on-street spaces reserved by the council in Islington (Lib Dem run of course!) for the car club – which is being enthusiastically backed by the council. Car clubs typically remove 20 private cars for each one of their cars. It is economic to the club member (only pay for a car when you need it), great for reducing congestion and car parking stress – and research amongst members demonstrates that people drive less miles per annum than they did when they owned their own car.

So – Cllr Ed Butcher (Lib Dem, Stroud Green) and I were meeting with Streetcar to see how they were progressing with breaking into the Haringey market. Opening gambits have been made – but I am sure Ed will be seeking to help them on their way. Transport for London gives funding to boroughs to promote the introduction of car clubs – so where there is money Haringey can be directed!

Citizens Advice Bureau in Haringey

Posted on 18th Mar 2006 by Lynne Featherstone

Early meeting with the head of the local CAB. The Citizens Advice Bureau is such a vital resource for this borough and I learn that Haringey Council wants to squeeze them down to two outlets – Tottenham and Wood Green. Must fight to retain the one in the west. Two to one is probably the right ratio in placement – but to take away the CAB entirely from the west of the borough would be wrong as there is so much need there too. The CAB are committed to staying in the west as well- but they are so overloaded with work and under-funded in terms of human resource. We exchange views on a whole range of issues – as people come to my surgery and to them – and often we refer to each other. The queue outside is already as long as you can imagine – and people often have to wait hours and hours. So – how to attract more resource for the CAB?

Onto Hornsey School for Girls. What a treat this was. To spend a couple of hours talking to the senior girls – the Head Girl and her deputies and four from the elected school council. Bright and interesting and interested. We range over the whole gamut from lack of facilities for young people (who are just thought of as trouble if they hang around – but they have nowhere to go), to behaviour out of school, to what they think of politics and so on and so on. I invite all of them and any other pupil of sixth form who is interested to come up to Parliament and to come for work experience.

Hornsey High is a very interesting school because it does not take from a catchment around the school itself – it takes from the whole borough and consequently only a few girls come from nearby. The school’s ethnic mix is striking – 92% black and ethnic minorities and 8% white. We have an interesting conversation in which I am told that drink and drugs problems happen much more at the parties that the white girls have/go to than those the black girls go to or have. So much for stereotypes!

It is clear that the Education Bill, which passed its second reading, finds no favour. Firstly the girls are angry that they were not consulted – nor the staff – and I suggest that I put down a Parliamentary Question to find out who was consulted. It is an important issue as the Bill will mean the school taking on extra burdens currently borne by the Local Education Authority.

The Bill is all about structures rather than resourcing quality processes – which is my new mantra as to why everything has gone wrong everywhere. Anyway – a really interesting time and enjoyable.

Then it is off to surgery at Hornsey Library followed by session at my constituency office. Also today – latest newspaper column is out, about the future of police stations.