Our Tottenham Coordination Group – 19th Feb 2025 @ The Garden House / KitapEvi
Present: Herman I (supporter of Goan Centre), Juliet C and Ben L (Haringey branch of the London Renters Union), Joyce R (Tottenham Civic Society), Martin B (member of misc groups), Sue P (Wards Corner + Friends of the Earth + misc groups), Elena (Wards Corner Community Benefit Soc), David K (Peoples Land Policy), Alison D (Community Spaces Campaign), Nelly T and daughter Dyllis (Devon Close Residents Association), Sean O’Donovan (Cllr), Dave M (Haringey Community Centres Network + misc other groups) Apologies: Shirley H (Bruce Grove Residents Network), Malcom S (Tottenham Sports Centre + Weir Hall Action Group), Michael E (Just Space + Hermitage Road Residents Association), Frank M (Tottenham Sports Centre), Steve J (Convenor, Haringey Community Action Network), Paul B (Haringey Defend Council Housing), Jasmin T (Friends of Marcus Garvey Library + Haringey Friends of Reading and Education), Tony W (Haringey Solidarity Group)
Chair: Dave Notes: Ben Key documents were distributed to all, including: Our Tottenham flyer and Charter, Haringey Community Centres Network flyer, Haringey Friends of Parks Forum leaflet, Haringey’s Community Networks information, Council ‘Shaping Tottenham’ extracts (4pp), the Wards Corner Community Plan booklet, and Haringey ‘Totally Indypendent’ newspaper.
Agenda: Background to the meeting / Updates from local campaigns and issues / The Council’s ‘Shaping Tottenham’ vision document / How can local groups and activists best keep supporting each other? / AOB
1. Background to the meeting
Our Tottenham (OT) is a network set up early 2013, followed by 3 or 4 large conferences involving 40/50 community groups concerned with planning and regeneration issues. It was a direct response to a controversial Council/Developer ‘Plan for Tottenham’ which promoted mass demolitions and gentrification.The OT idea was to support each other, oppose ‘top down’ developer-led planning threats to various parts of Tottenham, and fight for better planning policies and practices supportive of local needs. Also developed a positive Our Tottenham Community Charter, signed by 55 local organisations. OT was very active for 7 or so years. Supported local campaigns around threatened sites at Wards Corner, Love Lane, Peacock Estate, Selby (N. Tottenham), St Ann’s Hospital etc – many of which have seen some real success after long and determined efforts.
OT supported the Stop HDV campaign which successfully stopped the Council from hiving off (to a notorious hedge fund, Lendlease) the management of £2 billion of Haringey’s public assets. This led to the removal of those chiefly responsible for the ‘Plan for Tottenham’ and the HDV, including the Council leader and Cabinet member in charge of ‘regeneration’. The network’s Coordination Group meetings fizzled out during the COVID years, but its website and email lists have continued to provide and circulate ongoing info. The need for revitalising the OT network is clear from ongoing campaigns and concerns, and was underlined by the need to react to the recent publication of a new Council document: ‘Shaping Tottenham’.
2. Updates from local campaigns and issues
Wards Corner: For over 15 years through the Wards Corner Community Coalition the traders and local community around Seven Sisters tube station have been defending a historic building and vibrant indoor multicultural market and surrounding local shops threatened with demolition. The unique market is particularly crucial to latin american stallholders. The land is owned mostly by Transport for London (managed by their property arm Places for London) and part is owned by the Council. The buildings had been decaying for a long time due to neglect by TfL since 1973. 20 years ago the Council struck a secret deal with a property developer, Grainger Ltd, for the eviction of all tenants, mass demolition, and replacement by corporate chains and a gated private estate.
A campaign was launched with huge public meetings, mass protests, extensive lobbying and legal challenges. Eventually an alternative Community Plan for the site was created and granted planning permission. But it wasn’t until Grainger pulled out in 2021 that the Council itself finally agreed to back the Community Plan. A Wards Corner Community Benefit Society was then set up to apply for the lease of the whole site to restore and regenerate the area. They have submitted an expression of interest for the space, and have been offered an official partnership with TfL and the council. The CBS is continuing to consult over and coordinate progress.
The indoor section of the market has been closed for repairs for some years now. TfL has indicated it will be re-opening the temporary market, hopefully in May. The intent is that all the traders who previously held a license will be invited back. https://wardscorner.org
Selby site and Bull Lane Playing Fields
The Selby Trust manages an old school building housing up to 100 community organisations. The Council originally planned to evict and demolish. However following a long lobbying effort, backed by OT, the Council agreed to work with the Selby Trust as partners to create a new ‘Selby Village’. This would mean the Trust taking control of a new purpose-built community building, with the Council building new housing. https://www.selbytrust.co.uk/
The new ‘village’ would incorporate the Bull Lane Playing Fields, which have been saved after a 40 year campaign by the Weir Hall Action Group to prevent it being sold off for private housing. As the Fields are actually in Enfield, planning permission was also sought from Enfield Council – approved unanimously on 29th Jan 2025! https://haringeycommunitypress.co.uk/2025/01/30/new-community-centre-plans-given-go-ahead/
Love Lane Housing Estate and Peacock Industrial Estate
These 2 areas opposite the new Tottenham Hotspurs ground had been dubbed by the Plan for Tottenham as ‘High Road West’ and earmarked for evictions, demolition and eventual gentrification. This provoked strong campaigns at both sites by the tenants and small businesses. Meanwhile Spurs’ property arm has been buying up some of the land in and around the area, undermining the Council’s original ‘grand plan’ for the whole area.
The Council conducted a ‘demolition’ ballot of the Love Lane tenants and put in a huge effort to convince them to (only narrowly) support the plan, with assurances of re-housing elsewhere. Lendlease will be the preferred developer, even though they are ceasing most of their UK operations. The Council has carried out Compulsory Purchase Orders on local shops. The number of promised new social houses have dwindled. Peacock Estate businesses continue to fight removal, rejecting an inappropriate ‘offer’ to move some of them to a wharehouse in Enfield.
We paid our respects to Tino, the campaign coordinator of the Love Lane Temporary Accommodation Group (TAG), who sadly passed away last autumn. He had regularly attended Our Tottenham coordination meetings. We note that through TAG’s efforts, those in temporary accommodation have also been promised re-housing. https://haringeycommunitypress.co.uk/2024/09/04/tributes-paid-to-tottenham-housing-campaigner/
Down Lane Park/Tottenham Hale
Down Lane Park is being renewed with £3m new equipment and facilities, and a planned new community building. https://downlaneparkimprovement.commonplace.is/ This is financed by ‘planning gain’ funding from the many tower blocks being built around Tottenham Hale – mostly private flats, but at least some (700?) Council homes which the Council unfortunately had to pay for to be included.
Housing campaigning
Haringey London Renters Union branch has been active for over 2 years and now has 700 members in the private and social rent sectors. This year their focus is around gentrification and rising rents. Demands have been developed targeting the Council. Members are currently doing door knocking in Love Lane and Northumberland Estate to ask tenants what their issues are and to sign up more members. LRU London wide is campaigning for rent controls. They also want to see secure tenancies. They want to work with people in Tottenham to raise consciousness around these issues. https://londonrentersunion.org
Haringey Defend Council Housing has been championing the needs and rights of local Council tenants and leaseholders for over 30 years. Have many contacts on estates throughout Haringey. Regularly lobby the Council to oppose threats to increase rent and service charges. Also take up repair and safety issues, and oppose demolitions/gentrification. Having a public lobby on the 3rd March. Will get a notice sent out. https://haringeydefendcouncilhousingblog.wordpress.com/
Note: We believe Haringey Housing Action Group, one of OT’s founding organisations, is continuing to act as a mutual aid and advice group.
St Anns hospital site
The NHS, who owned the whole St Ann’s site run by the Mental Health Trust, decided 15 years ago to sell off half the site for private development. A campaign was launched to defend the site, and then to demand that the land to be sold instead be leased to a local Community Land Trust – the St Ann’s Redevelopment Trust – for 100% affordable long term housing and community facilities managed by the community. The Mental Health Trust put in a planning application for 500 homes with only a 14% provision for affordable homes. The Community produced a plan for 700 affordable community-led homes. After much lobbying and negotiation, the GLA bought the land, sidelined StART, watered down the affordability % – but conceded that alongside the mainly private housing there should also be 160 Council homes, 50 co-operative homes, sheltered accommodation and homes for healthworkers. The Council has indicated it will buy those 160 council homes and Gida Housing Co-op is preparing to take on the 50 co-op homes. Some history: https://www.startharingey.co.uk/
Haringey Community Centres Network
Following the launch of the Our Tottenham network, it was clear that some community-run Centres were threatened with potential demolition. Also the Council was only offering short term leases at market rents for those based in Council buildings – which 90% of existing Centres were refusing to sign. Many centres were set up in the 1980s and 1990s with long leases with ‘peppercorn’ or ‘circular’ contracts offsetting any rent charges. So the Haringey Community Centres Network was set up for centres to support each other and to demand that the previously affordable and secure leases continue. There were also issues with outstanding major repairs. Over the last 5 years the HCCN has been negotiating for proper recognition and support for all Centres, and the fantastic range of important services they provide to the community at no cost to the Council. The HCCN is calling for the value of Centres’ services to be calculated and such value to be offset against rent charges. Centres are holding out for improved leases to be offered, and the negotiations have had increasing success. The Council have recently conducted wider consultation on what the new leases should look like. Progress is being made but there are still key sticking points around rent and repairs. See: https://lordshiphub.org.uk/haringey-community-centres-network/
Community Spaces Campaign
Independently from HCCN a campaign has been started in the last year to get more spaces, especially for free food distribution projects. The CommunitySpaces Campaign (CSC) has been lobbying the council for community groups to be able to access unused spaces in Council buildings. This is particularly needed in Tottenham: The Northumberland Park Community Cook Up collective project was made homeless 2 years ago – they have continued to distribute free food weekly (eg £96k worth in 2023 alone) on the street since the loss of their building; Also the Home Grown in Tottenham youth and migrant family project was kicked out of its Council building and is having to operate from someone’s back door. It was reported that the Devon Close Residents Association members had used a spare Council space, but no longer are allowed access.
These and similar much-needed food projects/banks/kitchen could multiply massively if they had access to spaces.
The campaigners met with the Council last year and general support was expressed. CSC were then asked to provide specific details of what they needed. However since then its all gone quiet. The campaign is continuing, and they believe distribution should be based on the right to food and solidarity not charity. There were 2 local ‘Right To Food’ marches in 2023 and 2024. For example: https://wrp.org.uk/features/over-1000-march-for-right-to-food-in-haringey/
Parks
There are 65 local Friends of Parks Groups – coordinated since 2001 through the bi-monthly meetings of the Haringey Friends of Parks Forum – helping promote, protect, maintain and improve public green spaces throughout Haringey (including almost all such spaces in Tottenham). It was reported that these residents’ groups achieve a lot, and try to maintain a good working relationship with the Parks Service. But Parks Service budgets are increasingly hard hit as Government funding for Council services continues to be chronically low. More info: https://haringeyfriendsofparks.org.uk/
Libraries
The cash-strapped Council has been proposing that library hours be heavily reduced, but no Libraries to be actually closed. Friends of Marcus Garvey Library has been active in working against this on the basis that it reduces access to a range of cultural and community services for all ages. They are part of a borough wide campaign, Haringey Friends of Reading and Education. The Council have since amended some of their proposals. https://librarylondon.org/localgroups/haringey/about.html
Local trade union disputes:
There have been, and continue to be, a number of local industrial disputes going on, especially to defend public services and working conditions. These are supported by Haringey Trades Union Council. This includes: Teachers in 5 secondary schools opposing larger classes and greater workloads; Haringey Housing repair workers; Local bus workers; London Underground staff; Various NHS pay disputes. https://www.facebook.com/HaringeyTUC/
Haringey Solidarity Group: Haringey Solidarity Group print a local free community paper called ‘Totally Indypendent’. Since Haringey Community Press is now only online, this is now Haringey’s only hard copy paper. Spring 2025 issue now out: https://haringey.org.uk/backnewsletters/
3. ‘Shaping Tottenham’ vision document
The Council has just published this urban planning document, a link for which we had circulated before the meeting. https://www.haringey.gov.uk/placemaking-community-development/tottenham/shaping-tottenham We discussed it briefly.
Compared to the Council’s notorious ‘Plan for Tottenham’ in 2012 it feels to be a big improvement. This is not surprising since the architects of that Plan were kicked out of the Council, and some of the current regime were active supporters of Our Tottenham. Some of the wording of the policies of our own Tottenham Community Charter seem to have made it into the latest document. Check our website for the details of the Charter.
There are still many issues of concern with it. It is felt to be very vague and aspirational with no real indication how any of the positive ideas (affordable housing, stronger communities, more green spaces, better opportunities for all etc) are going to actually happen. There is a written commitment to community partnerships and working with the community. What that means in practice is not clear. Especially when it is still the private property developers who have the power and resources and therefore the real ear of the Council. Such developers generally continue to treat Tottenham as just there for their profit, and treat residents and communities with contempt.
Some of the consultation that fed into this document did seem to actually be reflected in the text.
But what is in it – eg real targets etc – to hold the council to account? Also where’s the commitment for the Council to stand up to developers and central government more? Concern about ‘council assets’ being used to ‘attract wealth and investment’ (ie property developers) rather than prioritising wealth that is built from the community.
4. How can we continue supporting each other?
It was said that it can feel very isolating for small groups dealing with issues and challenges alone, but very positive to have a network like this which is a backbone to connect groups and people. It was agreed the meeting had been really useful and we need to hold them regularly. Agreement to meet every 3 months.
Local groups and activists should also continue to use the OT collective internal ‘organising’ email list for sending round updates. Key updates can be forwarded on to our wider supporters on our one-way ‘news’ list. Subscribe to that list via: ourtottenham_news-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
We noted that OT is just one of a number of vital grassroots community networks in Haringey. These include Haringey Friends of Reading and Education (see above); Haringey Friends of Parks Forum (see above); Haringey Federation of Residents Associations; Haringey Community Food Network; Haringey Allotments Forum; Haringey Community Centres Network (see above); Sustainable Haringey; and Haringey Community Action Network. Details of all those are here: https://haringeyfriendsofparks.org.uk/haringey_networks.php
Regarding the recently formed Haringey Community Action Network (involving 26 campaigning groups, trade union branches etc), it was proposed that the Our Tottenham Network Coordination Group apply to affiliate. This was agreed unanimously.
5. Any Other Business
a. We agreed to add new people to our email lists
b. We agreed to try to keep our website up to date. There have been some technical issues, but we thank Michelle for setting it up and maintaining it for us.
c. We noted that the Fountain Pub (saved from being developed into housing by a community campaign 15 years ago) is now running monthly ‘open mic’ music sessions.