Tottenham Journal: Community campaigners galvanise grass-roots vision for Tottenham

http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/community_campaigners_galvanise_grass_roots_vision_for_tottenham_our_tottenham_high_road_west_1_3281288

homesforneednotprofitAround 100 people from all corners of the community gathered to discuss their own grass-roots vision for the future of Tottenham on Saturday.

The Our Tottenham group’s community planning conference saw more than 95 people attend from 42 local community groups and organisations, residents’ associations, traders’ groups, education institutions and London-wide networks.

The group hopes to create its own plans for Tottenham’s development in response to the multi-million-pound schemes being drawn up by Tottenham Hotspur, Haringey Council, Transport for London, private developers and other interest groups under the banner Plan For Tottenham.

Workshops took place to discuss ideas and share skills and knowledge, leading to a final discussion to shape a vision of a community plan. Working groups were also set up develop ideas further, including those focusing on planning policy and the local economy.

Developing relations with Haringey Council, sourcing funding and using powers under the Localism Act were also hot topics.

“The sheer number of people and groups in attendance here today is yet another sign that people in Tottenham are tired of the council’s top-down approach to regeneration,” said an Our Tottenham spokesman. “The council’s Plan For Tottenham does not represent what local people need or want, and it is through the creation of community plans that we will show the council that they must change their approach.” Continue reading

Haringey Independent: Our Tottenham conference draws up plan for community

TottenhamCommunity-SONA2There was standing room only as people of all ages and races gathered to discuss their ideas for the future face of their community.

Around 100 people packed Tottenham Chances in Tottenham High Road yesterday for the ‘One Tottenham’ conference.

The full day event, organised by residents, was designed to allow members of the community to draw up an alternative to the “large-scale, profit-driven development” championed by Haringey Borough Council.

They seek to recreate a regeneration plan that includes community facilities, housing, support for small businesses and developing local community plans from a street to neighbourhood level.

Under banners proclaiming ‘Homes for People not Profit’ and ‘Street markets not Property Markets’ members of groups from inside and outside Haringey, from Kings Cross and Carpenters Estate to Wards Corner and Lordship Rec shared their ideas.

Sara Hall, who is part of the campaign to prevent the independent shops of Wards Corner being replaced by supermarkets, described how traders and residents worked to draw up their own plans for the area.

Continue reading

TODAY: COMMUNITY PLANNING FOR TOTTENHAM

Our Tottenham
Our voices   Our homes  Our neighbourhoods
New website: www.ourtottenham.org.uk

A conference organised by and for local residents…

IT’S OUR TOTTENHAM  –  creating our own Community Plans for local sites, facilities and neighbourhoods, and for Tottenham as a whole

Saturday 1st February
11am- 4pm, at Tottenham Chances
399 Tottenham High Road, N17 6QN
Please register now so that we can make adequate provisions for the numbers attending:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/our-tottenham-community-planning-conference-tickets-10104860911See the full agenda belowTottenham is a great place with a rich social and architectural history, made up of vibrant, diverse and talented communities. We want to ensure this continues!We must challenge policies and practices that do not benefit the people of Tottenham. The Council, backed by property developers and big business, are promoting their ‘Plan for Tottenham’ – mainly large-scale, profit-driven development, increased rents, more unaffordable housing, and the loss of some independent local shops and community facilities. Its not all bad but, unless challenged, this will seriously affect our lives and our communities, and rising rents will force many local people out of the area.

Together we are very powerful and can make our own plans. How do we do this? Thousands of Tottenham residents have campaigned and worked hard for years to improve their local areas and facilities. The conference will showcase and learn from some of the many inspirational examples of community-led regeneration of estates, parks, local facilities, and neighbourhoods.

In every neighbourhood throughout Tottenham we should support or create new community groups and campaigns which take action to: Defend community facilities and services; Stand up for decent & affordable housing for all; Support small businesses; Promote quality design and respect for heritage; Improve the street environment and green spaces; Support youth voices, services and facilities; Empower local communities

COME AND JOIN IN THE CONFERENCE!
• HEAR about inspirational and successful examples of community-led regeneration around Tottenham and London
• DISCUSS what people can do in local neighbourhoods to develop their own community plans to improve their areas – and Tottenham as a whole

FULL AGENDA

11am        Arrival / registration Continue reading

Haringey Independent: Our Tottenham hosts conference to create community plan for Tottenham regeneration

http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/10978053.Community_group_to_create_plan_for_regeneration/?ref=var_0

Campaigners calling for community-led regeneration of Tottenham will host a conference to create their own plan for the area.

Our Tottenham will host the event at Tottenham Chances, in High Road, Tottenham, on Saturday, February 1.

The conference has been organised by residents to bring together a wide range of community groups and organisations from across area.

Campaigners will focus on sharing experiences, skills and knowledge about creating community plans and will begin working towards a community plan for Tottenham.

In a statement, the group said: “Tottenham has so many successful groups already active in the area and the conference aims to harness this energy and enthusiasm to focus on developing viable community plans that serve to meet the needs of the people who live and work locally.”

The group’s charter calls for defence of community facilities, housing, support for small businesses and developing local community plans from a street to neighbourhood level.

The meeting will run from 11am to 4pm.

Our Tottenham – Residents’ Conference, Sat 1st Feb 2014

A conference organised by and for local residents…

IT’S OUR TOTTENHAM – creating our own Community Plans for local sites, facilties and neighbourhoods, and for Tottenham as a whole

Saturday 1st February 2014

11am – 4pm, at Tottenham Chances 399 Tottenham High Road, N17 6QN Please register now so that we can make adequate provisions for the numbers attending:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/our-tottenham-community-planning-conference-tickets-10104860911

Tottenham is a great place with a rich social and architectural history, made up of vibrant, diverse and talented communities. We want to ensure this continues!

We must challenge policies and practices that do not benefit the people of Tottenham. The Council, backed by property developers and big business, are promoting their ‘Plan for Tottenham’ – mainly large-scale, profit-driven development, increased rents, more unaffordable housing, and the loss of some independent local shops and community facilities. Its not all bad but, unless challenged, this will seriously affect our lives and our communities, and rising rents will force many local people out of the area.

Together we are very powerful and can make our own plans. How do we do this? Thousands of Tottenham residents have campaigned and worked hard for years to improve their local areas and facilities. The conference will showcase and learn from some of the many inspirational examples of community-led regeneration of estates, parks, local facilities, and neighbourhoods.

In every neighbourhood throughout Tottenham we should support or create new community groups and campaigns which take action to: Defend community facilities and services; Stand up for decent & affordable housing for all; Support small businesses; Promote quality design and respect for heritage; Improve the street environment and green spaces; Support youth voices, services and facilities; Empower local communities Continue reading

Two new working group meetings Thursday 9th Jan 7pm

Local economy working group

Thursday 9th Jan 2014, 7pm at the Pueblito Paisa cafe at Wards Corner

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES:
Support our local, independent, family shops and enterprises
–       Build stronger alliances between residents and traders, and between residents’ groups and the Tottenham Traders Partnership
–       Lobby and champion for the needs of small businesses
–       Do an audit of local small businesses, their goods and services, and their issues

This meeting is open to anyone interested in Tottenham’s local economy or challenging the council’s disastrous ‘regeneration’ plans. Please do come along.

Housing working group

Thursday 9th Jan 2014, 7pm at 410 Tottenham High Road, The Bookhouse/Garden house restaurant/cafe.The Our Tottenham Conference participants together agreed on 6th April 2013 to following set of principles which we can discuss further and are part of the Our Tottenham community charter.

STAND UP FOR DECENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL:

Ensure that new developments provide the secure, affordable housing that people need, and that ‘gentrification’ doesn’t force thousands of local residents out of our borough
–       Support residents associations and residents action groups that raise, or can raise these issues
–       Challenge Council policies on housing in new developments. Set our own agenda for, and definition of, genuine ‘affordability’ and ‘security of tenure’, in contrast to Council definitions.
–       Raise public awareness regarding the need for genuinely affordable housing, long-term security of tenure and people’s housing needs generally, and the need to speak up for this.
–       Support the residents of Love Lane Estate, and any other residents, threatened with possible relocation and demolition

 

Our Tottenham – Residents’ Conference, Sat 1st Feb 2014

A conference organised by and for local residents…

IT’S OUR TOTTENHAM – Creating our own Community Plans for local sites, facilities and neighbourhoods, and for Tottenham as a whole.

Saturday 1st February 11am – 4pm

at Tottenham Chances, 399 Tottenham High Road, N17 6QN

Tottenham is a great place with a rich social and architectural history, made up of vibrant, diverse and talented communities. We want to ensure this continues!

We must challenge policies and practices that do not benefit the people of Tottenham. The Council, backed by property developers and big business, are promoting their ‘Plan for Tottenham’ – mainly large-scale, profit-driven development, increased rents, more unaffordable housing, and the loss of some independent local shops and community facilities. Its not all bad but, unless challenged, this will seriously affect our lives and our communities, and rising rents will force many local people out of the area.

Together we are very powerful and can make our own plans. How do we do this? Thousands of Tottenham residents have campaigned and worked hard for years to improve their local areas and facilities. The conference will showcase and learn from some of the many inspirational examples of community-led regeneration of estates, parks, local facilities, and neighbourhoods.

In every neighbourhood throughout Tottenham we should support or create new community groups and campaigns which take action to: Defend community facilities and services; Stand up for decent & affordable housing for all; Support small businesses; Promote quality design and respect for heritage; Improve the street environment and green spaces; Support youth voices, services and facilities; Empower local communities. Continue reading

Our Tottenham Community Planning Conference

CREATING OUR OWN COMMUNITY PLANS

For local sites, facilities and neighbourhoods, and for Tottenham as a whole

Saturday 1st February 2014, 11-4pm

Tottenham Chances, 399 Tottenham High Road, N17 6QN
Find the flyer here, along with the Our Tottenham Community Charter

Come and join in the conference!
• SAY NO to evictions and demolitions of homes or small shops, to high rents, and to the loss of local community facilities and services
• HEAR about inspirational and successful examples of community-led regeneration around Tottenham and London
• DISCUSS what people can do in local neighbourhoods to develop their own community plans to improve their areas

Together we are very powerful and can make our own plans.

Let’s speak out for our real needs, and defend our communities.

Local Traders Condemn ‘Sham’ Council consultation – For North Tottenham High Road West – as ‘lies’, and call for a new scenario for the area

Download copy of document here

On Thursday 28th November a delegation of traders from North Tottenham High Road West addressed the Council’s cabinet meeting. They presented their 4,000-strong petition in which local people rejected the demolition of the area. The traders condemned the consultation over the future of the area as a ‘sham’ and said they had been lied to by the Council. They also condemned the report of the consultation that had excluded or sidelined most of the objections. They called on the Council to ‘freeze this planning process and sit down to design a new Scenario, one that includes this Business Community and allows it to move forward and grow within the regeneration process, not be excluded from it.’  Their powerful presentation is included below in full…

Chick King Tottenham

It should be noted that many Councillors are at last beginning to criticise the Council’s plans. At the meeting, Cllr Meehan called on the Council to condemn Tottenham Hotspur FC for buying up shops and businesses under threat, describing this as ‘making a killing’ and a ‘fire sale’. Cllr Stanton said the process of demolition and redevelopment was recognised throughout London as ‘social cleansing’. Cllr Winskill, the Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee which met on the previous Tuesday, said then that ‘we are talking about a massive socio-economic transformation of the area’ and asked ‘who is the redevelopment of Tottenham for?’. At that same meeting Cllr Bull, the former head of the Scrutiny Cttee, said ‘I still have a niggling concern that we rolled over far too quickly on the section 106 on Spurs’ [in which the Council allowed THFC to abandon its agreed obligations to build affordable housing and to put 16m into the local community]. ‘It just seems like everything is Spurs, Spurs, Spurs, Spurs, Spurs at the expense of everything else.’ Continue reading