July 20, 2017 by Pam I

Two more days at the Wards Corner CPO

Following last week’s posts, we are now two days into Week Two of the Public Inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Order for Wards Corner.

Tuesday was largely taken up with Grainger’s witness on the viability of the market, in both the planned Grainger schemes and in the Community restoration plan. There was much discussion of costs per square foot in rent in the various options, with forensic analysis and projections. The rents will be temporarily slightly reduced by the S106 order in the Grainger plan, this follows Boris Johnson’s intervention in 2008 after he visited the market and the boarded-up upstairs space the day before the mayoral elections. Grainger’s plans at that stage Continue reading →

July 18, 2017 by Pam I

Notes from first week of Wards Corner CPO

from your raving correspondent, following yesterday’s post

Day three of the CPO Inquiry at the Civic Centre. First David Lewis, commissioned by Grainger, ‘heritage expert’ who didn’t think the Wards store is anything more than an ordinary old shop so not worth saving. Then Stephen Walker, of CBRE who has being doing the negotiations on behalf of Grainger to buy up all the property and evict tenants. Then Robert Fourt on questions of viability of the two rival schemes for Wards Corner. It’s hard to find problems for Grainger with their £2.8billion of assets, but he had a go at our Community Plan. He missed so many points and got so much wrong that it was a pleasure to correct him, plus we have never revealed much about our sources of funding as it’s not necessary.

Speaking of which – one of our major backers confirmed today that he has cash waiting for us to re-open our conversations with TFL re beginning our restoration scheme. And he’s speaking to his finance people about making a big investment in our plan. A great boost when we are all rather exhausted by all this.

Continue reading →

July 13, 2017 by Pam I

Two days of the Wards Corner CPO done

ten more to go. See below for what it is.
So far we’ve heard from Lyn Garner, LBH head of Regen, who got us off to a great start by describing how Tottenham is a disgusting slimepit full of crime and poverty and how the only thing to save it is rich outside developers. Then the architect of the Grainger Plan, on how his design is simply the most brilliant slab of bricks seen anywhere in the developed world. Today we heard from Suzanne Johnson of the regen team, with the story of how the Wards building is falling to bits, then Jonny Kibble from Grainger on how he has come to love and admire the cuddly market people.

It really has to be the best show in town, plus Continue reading →

June 26, 2017 by Pam I

Summer’s Here

so dancing in the street is what happens.

Salsa Shutdown 2

The second Salsa Shutdown for Seven Sisters happened on Sunday 25th June. It was a fundraiser towards the legal costs of objecting to the Compulsory Purchase Order for Wards Corner. The inquiry will run from 11th to 28th July, Tuesdays to Fridays, at Wood Green Civic Centre.

The developer Grainger has assets of £2.8 billion. There is no legal aid for CPO’s. The campaign to defend Wards Corner and the Latin Market can only pay for the barristers it needs by fundraising, and they are still short by about £10,000 of the cost of having a barrister throughout the hearing. The council and Grainger each have a QC (the council’s paid for from Council Tax) and their job will be to cross-examine the witnesses. Not something most of campaigners look forward to, so the more they can have their barrister to support them, the more fair it will be. Please help if you can via this crowdfunder site.

The serious hard work of all this dancing raised about £250, plus more (still counting) from the sale of food, many thanks to all contributors.

Salsa Shutdown 2 Wards Corner, Seven Sisters Fundraiser to pay towards legal fees for CPO in July. 25th June 2017

and here’s a fabulous video seen on the Gal-Dem site.

March 27, 2017 by Pam I

Want to make yourself really sick?

See the latest glossy brochure selling /gifting Tottenham to the developers.

Haringey put it out at last week’s MIPIM conference. Billed as “the world’s leading property market”. 13-16 March 2018 – Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France. Acquired under FOI. Huge swathes of the borough are earmarked “Growth area” and “area of change”.

Click to download pdf of brochure:
Haringey Investment Prospectus LOWRES(1)

mipim

December 30, 2016 by Pam I

Please support Wards Corner legal challenge

Dear friends, the time has come for you to be our active supporters in the struggle against the Compulsory Purchase Order for Wards Corner.

Haringey Council have issued a CPO to support the developer Grainger to force the sale of the parts of Wards Corner that they need, to enable them to demolish the whole block and build private flats. No social housing, not even ‘affordable’. Meanwhile Grainger is going ahead on the opposite corner, with building a huge tower block, 23 storeys, with 165 private flats, replacing the council’s Customer Service facility Apex House.

We have a better plan. Rather than just saying No to demolition, we have an alternative. Our Community Plan would Continue reading →

December 26, 2016 by Pam I

Those railway line works

The Overground Line from Barking to Gospel Oak has been closed for months while the line is being electrified, which will bring it into the same system as the rest of the London Overground. It will add the possibility of four- rather than two-carriage trains and so relieve the crush at busy times. The line through SoTo station has been closed since September, due to re-open in ‘February 2017’ so the end is nigh. To understand why it’s taking so long,. see this article from Rail Engineer magazine, it’s a massive engineering project.

bogrug1 Continue reading →

October 15, 2016 by Pam I

Wards Corner CPO -kicking off

Wards Corner CPO – background notes

On 23 September 2016 Haringey Council delivered by hand to freeholders and leaseholders on the site a Statement of Reasons they intend to Compulsory Purchase the Wards Corner site, including the High Road, West Green Rd, Suffield Rd and Seven Sisters Road portions.

The statement is dated 14 September and the closing date for objections is 21 October (less than one month from delivery of the statement on 23/09/16).

Haringey Council is Continue reading →