APRIL 2016 UPDATE

Please forward around Tottenham
Our Tottenham General Coordination Meeting
Thursday May 5th, 7pm

@ 639 High Rd, N17
Members and reps from local community organisations and individual supporters all welcome!

APRIL 2016 UPDATE

Draft notes from 7th April 2016 Coordination Meeting, 639 High Rd, N17

Present:  Jane and Dave R (Haringey Housing Action Group), Jasmin (Friends of Marcus Garvey Library), Dave M (Friends of Lordship Rec, and Haringey Federation of Residents Associations),Paul B (Haringey Defend Council Housing), Jacob (HDCH and Broadwater Farm Res Assoc), Judith (resident), David K (Haringey Needs St Ann’s Hospital Campaign + START), Paul N (Taxpayers Against Poverty), Luca (Haringey Solidarity Group)    Apologies: Anne (Haringey Green Party), Martin (Friends of Down Lane Park), Mark P (researcher), Michelle L (resident), Yvonne (Ubele), Bibsi (Resident), Shirley (Bruce Grove Res Network), Claire (Planning Policy working group), Sue (Clyde Area RA, Tottm Civic Society, Tottm FOE), Philip (Friends of Lord Morrison Hall),

Minutes of the last meeting(s)  Not available (see below).

Planning Policy    It was explained that there had been 4 or 5 meetings January-March to publicise and prepare the OT response to the Council’s latest Draft Local Plan. This was a huge collective effort, involving 8-15 people and many of our affiliated groups. Our extensive responses (4 documents) need to be put onto our website.

OT Website  Needs updating. We could also do with a volunteer (Martin?) to sort out a Calendar on the website.

Haringey Defend Council Housing   Meet monthly. Encouraging and supporting residents’ opposition to the Council/developer threats of demolitions on Council estates. Responding to consultations (Haringey Local Plan and the Government’s Housing Bill). Lobbying wherever possible. Applying for copies of developers’ so-called ‘viability’ reports (in which they claim how hard up they would be if they had to build affordable housing and contribute positively to community projects). Also challenging the controversial Spurs development’s lack of any social housing. Council now saying they will set up a Joint Venture Company with a developer to sell off and ‘develop’ land/homes/businesses/facilities on estates.

Broadwater Farm   Local activists held second major public campaign meeting (65 people) to keep up momentum to defend the estate and 3 neighbouring housing association estates from potential demolition and ‘redevelopment’ threats.

Haringey Housing Action Group   Promoting solidarity among people in housing need. Objecting to housing planning applications – calling for all housing to be affordable. Want to link up with other groups.

Friends of Marcus Garvey Library   Organised a 60-strong consultation day at Tottenham Town Hall to mobilise library users in developing their own vision for the future of the library, whilst campaigning against Council plans to reduce space, quality and services. Had some success and lots of publicity. Trying to save the children’s garden and the Marcus Garvey special book collection. Linking up with and promoting other Friends Groups for other Haringey libraries. Concerned about future of Coombes Croft library too.

Friends of Lordship Rec   Successful campaign against Council threat of housebuilding on the Rec (plan now withdrawn), but backing the continuing efforts to defend the adjacent estates. Linking up with other park Friends’ groups throughout Haringey to object to further cuts and commercialism in local green spaces. Note that the unique Wolves Lane Horticultural / Educational Centre is under threat of closure due to cuts, but the Friends group there are working hard to defend it.

Haringey Community Centres Network   A core group of Centres are meeting regularly together to campaign against the council’s plans for shorter length and higher rent leases. Includes a petition and a survey.

Haringey Needs St Ann’s Hospital Campaign / Development Trust   The long campaign to defend the hospital and its site has now morphed into a Community Plan to buy for £40m (or get the Secretary of State to donate it to them) the two-thirds of the site threatened with being sold off for unaffordable housing. They plan social/cooperative housing, green space and community facilities. Got hold of a secret ‘viability’ report showing that developers’ gripes about not being able to afford genuinely affordable housing are lies.

The Seven Sisters N15 Development Trust  are also trying to raise the funds for the community-led renewal of Wards Corner which has planning permission.

Love Lane Estate   Paul N reported that the demolition/redevelopment of the estate is moving forward, but he has arranged legal aid to challenge the consultation over the demolitions, ‘decanting’ and dispersal of residents of the estate. He noted the coming housing campaigning  meeting called by Momentum (Labour Party left) and urged all to support it – 12 April. He also reported that he was planning an appeal over a recent defeat in the High Court over unjust Council Tax court cost charges against thousands of local residents.

Haringey Solidarity Group    Continuing to produce local paper ‘Totally Indypendent’ featuring local issues and campaigns. Considering a public meeting to bring migrant campaign groups together.

Haringey Professional Development Centre  This training Centre for teaching is facing being sold off for redevelopment – should it be used instead for the extra local school buildings needed?

Crossrail2   The Council has been pushing for this, but it could have negative implications for green space and local buildings around the various planned stations, depots and ventilation shafts. Friends Of Downhills Park are opposing threats to part of their park.

London-wide issues   We noted the continuing growth of local campaigns and alliances taking up ‘regeneration’ issues and threats and trying to defend their communities eg the Grand Union Alliance, Sweets Way, E15 Mothers etc. Some Our Tottenham people have been attending the London Just Space Network, where a community-led Alternative London Plan has been created. Also, Dave gave evidence on behalf of OT to the ‘London Communities Commission’ set up to analyse and lobby over the effects of ‘regeneration’ and to find out want communities actually want.

Coming events
–       Multicultural Festival on Tottenham Green on 8 October
–       ‘Panama Papers’ demonstration in Downing Street in a few days
–       Massive anti-austerity demonstration on April 16 (Note: over 100,000 attended).

The Our Tottenham network includes:  
Bull Lane Playing Fields Campaign / Weir Hall Action Group, Chestnuts Community Centre, Clyde Area Residents Association, Day-Mer, Defend Haringey Health Services, Dissident Sound Industry Studios, Dowsett estate Residents Association, Efiba Arts, Find Your Voice, Friends of Downhills Park, Friends of Lordship Rec, Friends of Marcus Garvey Library, Growing-In-Haringey network, Haringey Alliance for Public Services, Haringey Defend Council Housing, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, Haringey Friends of Parks Forum, Haringey Green Party, Haringey Housing Action Group, Haringey Independent Cinema, Haringey Justice for Palestinians, Haringey Left Unity, Haringey Living Streets, Haringey Needs St Ann’s Hospital, Haringey Private Tenants Action Group, Haringey Solidarity Group, Haringey Trades Union Council, Living Under One Sun, Lord Morrison Hall / Afro International, Lordship Rec Eco-Hub Co-op, MLB Learning Solutions, N. London Community House, Peoples World Carnival Band, Selby Centre, Taxpayers Against Poverty, The Banc, Tottenham and Wood Green Friends of the Earth, Tottenham Chances, Tottenham Civic Society, Tottenham Community Choir, Tottenham Community Sports Centre, Tottenham Concerned Residents Cttee, Tottenham Constitutional Club, Tottenham Rights, Tottenham Socialist Workers Party, Tottenham Theatre, Tottenham Traders Partnership, Tower Gardens Residents Group, Tynemouth Area Residents Assoc, Ubele, University & College Union at CONEL, Urban Tattoo, Wards Corner Community Coalition, 1000 Mothers’ March Organising Group, 20’s Plenty for Haringey

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