Charging the honest so the guilty go free...

The evidence begins to stack up... Unusually, in this case the victims are local businesses and not the residents.

CONTEXT: Rangemoor Industrial Estate

• Lots of empty units MEANS
• More fly tipping
• No security put in place despite frequent and direct requests from the police to support their work MEANS
• EVEN MORE fly tipping MEANS...
• someone has to pay to clear it up
  

QUESTION: Who do you think pays for the clear up? The Council?

ANSWER: Don't be silly.... the businesses who work there of course!

Yep, it transpires that even though they pay standing charges, the council get the businesses who use the area to pay for the clear up of illegal fly tipping caused by council negligence..

Iceland... Prefabs - it all makes sense

Maybe it's because the council are only going to get 80% of our money back from Icelandic banks, that they've only cleared the rubbish from one of the prefabs and not all of them....

That said... I've heard it on the QT from that the £30k it would cost to clear the prefabs is nothing and if they really wanted to they could have done it by now...

So, why haven't they.....

O'Donovans on the Ladder...

We are not alone....

"I have managed to get a small sample of skip truck visits to Lausanne Rd. I do this primarily by lying in bed an extra half hour knowing that I will be woken at least by the time the truck gets to the passage. Pen and paper on the bedside table and all I have to do is pull the curtain back and take a quick look.

20th May 2008 - 0715 - EU07 EYA, O'Donovan's
21st May 2008 - 0850 - Y666 MOD, O'Donovan's (followed to Hornsey station works and spoken to)
23rd May 2008 - 0700 - Y433 RNN, O'Donovan's
30th May 2008 - 0700 - Y666 MOD, O'Donovan's
2nd June 2008 - 0700 - Y666 MOD, O'Donovan's
5th June 2008 - 0630 - EU07 EYA, O'Donovan's
0650 - DA02 OHB, O'Donovan's (I think, really not sure though)
6th June 2008 - 0620 - P11 MOD, O'Donovan's
0655 - EU04 VCG, O'Donovan's (licence plate filthy)
0750 - EU04 VCG, O'Donovan's (back again for a second go)
0755 - GH07 GBN, I don't think this was O'Donovan's
7th June 2008 - 0810 - GH07 GBN, Not sure where he's from
0845 - LK51 OUD, O'Donovan's
9th June 2008 - 0630 - KE06 LND, O'Donovan's
0730 - Y666 MOD, O'Donovan's
11th June 2008 - 0800 - EU07 EYA, O'Donovan's (outside the Queen's Head, heading east. We had a nice big yelling match in the middle of the road)
12th June 2008 - 0615 - DA02 OHB, Not sure where he's from

It's sparse because of holidays and not being in the bedroom at the time etc. One day I lay in bed ill and counted 15 skip trucks in total. That was when I decided to get off my bum and do something about it." John, Haringay Online - My Little list of skip truck visits

And yes, we're trying to find out how they did it...

Check out the HARINGAY ONLINE community website to find out what's going on over Green Lanes way - http://www.harringayonline.com. You will need to register to get on...

April O'Donovans Update

No reversing without a banksman they say... hilarious. These were taken by a resident trying to leave the park with a 4 year old and 8 month old twins...

They now have three sites and every day they park on yellow lines on a corner. Every day they get away with it. And of course their lorries can't actually access their new site on Constable Crescent without using both pavements, blocking the road and again making life for residents interminable. Where oh, where are the council?

Oh, and did I mention the verbal abuse a resident received for daring to toot a lorry when trying to get it to move so she could get past? That one was witnessed by Jackie O'D so no denials possible there. And for once something that the council is not indirectly responsible for!

Money should talk in this instance...

Sanctuary Housing have had plans passed for construction of high density housing (flats and 3-4 bed houses) on the prefabs land. They don't own the land. Priscilla Wakefield have put in an unconditional offer - that is higher - for the same land. If they get it they will then work with community to develop a sheltered accommodation for couples where one partner is suffering debilitating illness, a drop in centre and a cafe open to the public.

Hmmm... what sounds better? More people no services or less people, jobs and facilities for the community? No-brainer - but not here - Sanctuary have a history with Haringey.

We wait with bated breath as the valuer reports to the council and the plots thickens .

April update...

Three questions sent to the council with a deadline for response of end of April. They shouldn't be too hard to answer - and certainly not if you're the Head of Urban Planning in Haringey.

When

• will the prefabs be demolished and the health and safety risk removed?
• will the council enforce the unsafe and illegal practices taking place on public roads by local businesses which endanger those attempting to access the park and schools?

What and where

• is the long term plan for this area?

Why questions via email? Because with a site meeting set, at the last minute he wanted to send his deputies instead. Well, we've done deputies. We want answers. And, if we don't get them? Time to go further.

Incident of the month... Double Standards - March

Tottenham landlord fined £1750 - for not clearing his front garden - Haringey People.

Yep, happy to fine a landlord yet can't even clear the rubbish on their own land...

Double standards...

Nearly four months after our meeting with the Council and O'Donovans and not the slightest sign of feedback and support from the powers that be.

O’Donovans must be laughing at just how powerless we are. So, how do we, as local residents, get these very serious issues addressed and taken seriously by a council that seems to care little for this part of the borough. Even though the little incidents posted below mean that they can no longer deny that they happen, why would they worry? Nothing happens as a result of it.

But, the bigger issue is that by not addressing our very legitimate issues the council is condoning their practices - many of which mean breaking the law.

Double standards again...

- What's OK for businesses - is not OK for residents

- What's OK for this part of the borough - is not OK for the west...

As more and more people are crammed into this area and want to access Markfield Park, the schools, river, cafe and museum it is simply a matter of time before there is an accident. Yes, so far there hasn't been one - but O'Donovans have now expanded to another two sites and there have been plenty of near misses and hairy moments (including my own five year old nearly going under a wheel that was bigger than me when a site vehicle was driving on the pavement).

The weather is improving, the park is nearly finished but I'm not sure how much I'll be using it. There are O'Donovans lorries driving around even on Sundays. ITAL lorries parked on the crossover so even on Sundays you have to walk in the middle of the road. Stressful with children.

Think I'd rather drive out of borough - it's safer. So much for GREEN Haringey.

MARCH UPDATE… O’DONOVANS

Verbal Abuse & Danger –O’Donovans unable to dispute any of them (And we're only half way through the month...)

Well, tempers are beginning to fray asO’Donovans continue with their bid for world domination with expansion without the slightest regard for the safety – let alone the wellbeing – of residents and people passing through.

PUBLIC SET-TO – Tuesday 9 March, 3.30

Verbal Abuse & Danger –O’Donovans unable to dispute any of them

On tooting to prompt a lorry to move so that a car could pass from entrance to Markfield, the driver received a torrent of abuse. Fed up with this, she then visited Jackie O’Donovan who followed her out of her office and witnessed for herself her employee start swearing again at the resident (silly man, hadn’t realised that Jackie had been following along behind).

Whilst the set-to was underway, the resident was also able to point out the sort of typical situation that happens which O’Donovans claim never happens…

A large high backed lorry was using an arm to put a second lorry on tow – ie back end to back end. Both pavements were blocked. A woman and buggy trying to get to the PUBLIC PARK was then forced to walk between the two lorries in the middle of the road – approximately 6 feet.

So, undeniable proof indeed that the workforce don’t respect residents but also the justification for all this.

Jackie O’Donovan's view is

• It is an industrial area
• O’Donovans have been there for ever – ie much longer than the residents (ie ‘newcomers’) - subtext everyone should keep their nose out.

So

• when did the pavements become the property of O’Donovans?
• when did the roads/public highways become part of their industrial site?

Tempers are fraying…

REVERSING…

The reversing of large lorries out of their site onto the road continues. We’re waiting for pictures of another incident this time involving an adult trying to manage FIVE under five’s whilst a monster truck reverses towards them…

March Update... Prefabs

The council think the site is secured after the fire… hah! They wouldn’t think so if they lived here and had a 5 year old who could wander in without having to climb over anything or if they saw the way that the flytipping continues unabated…

But, things may be stirring… a letter from a head honcho apologising that we had to contact them… and an unconditional offer put in to buy the land, with the promise of removing the prefabs, irrespective of planning permission. Wow! And, it gets better, if it were to go ahead they would consult with local community and put in community services… Our response was – is it April Fool’s day. Apparently not. All that remains to be seen now is just how ‘tight’ Sanctuary are with the council.

We waited with bated breath… in the meantime the ‘secured’ burnt out premises remain ‘unsecured’ meaning that the flytipping continues unabated…

Pictures to come…

March update… The usual bits and bobs

ITAL & Co – well, they just get worse. Still parking on the pavement. Lorries driving to fast to enter Thorntask. Still unloading using cranes and pallets of blocks whilst they let people walk directly underneath…

Question for the council: where’s the health and safety officer in all of this?

Car Lot – Stamford Road - the car lot at the bottom of Stamford Road is slowly reverting back to its old ways with cars parked on the yellows and their gates opening on to the road making it dangerous for cars turning in and pedestrians walking by. The visit from Sgt Williams from the SNT proved effective for a while but they do need to be ‘reminded’.

Question for the council: where are parking? Why aren’t they being ticketed? That would solve it quickly enough.

Newton Road Development – at the point of giving up complaining. They have now taken over huge swathes of road and it is regularly completely blocked by delivery vans making it difficult for cars and pedestrians. There are never any road signs or people managing traffic even though it is always at 8.30 just as it’s busy because it’s right next door to Earlsmead Primary School.

Question for the council: where is parking? why isn’t it being dealt with?

More guff - no real answers

Bungalows are a 'target for arson' on 'forgotten street'

So far, we've played it by the book, listened and trusted that people would act on their word and that things would get better. The people we've worked with on the ground have been great, and really tried to help us get taken seriously. The Safer Neighbourhood Team have been really supportive, and in no way is this a slur on any of them... It's just that there seems to be a stumbling block further along the line and whatever we do, no difference seems to made.

So, we've got ourselves our first piece of local press coverage the upshot being that comments from the council spokesperson leave us with more questions and no answers...

A council spokeswoman said:

"These properties are temporary buildings which are not suitable for permanent homes. We say - But some people were living in them for years before they were finally rehoused before Christmas. In council speak, what constitutes temporary?

"They have been used as temporary accommodation for people who would otherwise be homeless. We say As indeed they should. The council has a severe housing problem. So, why have at least TWO of them remained empty for over four years - with a council sticker on the doors stating "Haringey - working to get this property back into use"

"When we have rehoused all the residents, the site will be sold to a housing association for them to build permanent housing for families in need. We say The sale was supposed to happen in the summer, the units flattened in the autumn and building of new development underway. The plans have been delayed with Planning. Why isn't the housing department pushing Planning to get permissions sorted so that they can build these houses for families in need?

The Council Enforcement agency cannot actually 'enforce' the council to clear up its own property (hmm?!). Perhaps it's waiting for the sale to maybe / maybe not go through in the future at which point it CAN ask the new owners to clear it...

So, they haven't answered the ‘burning’ question WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO IN THE INTERIM, until the site is sold? Not much is the answer…

Not in my backyard as they say - in Muswell Hill. But here? Hey, anything goes...

The original article can be found HERE (25/02/09 - Bungalows are a 'target for arson' on 'forgotten street'

N15 Depression...

I look at all of this and wonder... who's really in control of this borough?

• Certainly not the people who live here

• Not sure it's even the majority of the people who were elected to control the borough

• Maybe it's the owner of the very expensive car parked on the public pedestrian square under Cordell House on a Friday afternoon - the area that council employees have refused to put bollards on for reasons I won't even hazard a guess about.
  

Think it must be him/her... It certainly can't be me - I'd have got a ticket.

RISKY LIVING IN N15: the last four weeks

Life, which was pretty quiet over Christmas, is beginning to hot up in our corner of N15.

As buildings, owned both by private landlords and the counci,l have been allowed by their owners to fall into decline so the cost to the council and the tax payer has gone up as, within the last year or so, up to Christmas 08 alone we’ve had

• air ambulances for drunk squatters falling off beams in a derelict warehouse that was burnt out a few years ago and that has been left to fall to bits by the owner whilst the residents have to face every day..
  
• mass flytipping - SNT did a great job there and there's some great footage of people getting nicked for dumping!
  
• Haringey’s largest fire for eons in a newly acquired warehouse - along with another little one in a prefab
  

However, to get back to the point SINCE 17 JANUARY (date of last major update to this site) there’s been:

FIRE – fire involving fire brigade, police and evacuation of ill and elderly residents of the neighbouring care home. Noone physically hurt to the best of my knowledge but do wonder about the stress levels it has caused the residents. Where was the fire??? The Prefabs! Not somewhere unexpected and unforeseen but an area that residents have been complaining about for FOUR YEARS and have warned repeatedly as being a health and safety hazard. (See post below for more)

BUILDING COLLAPSE* -- the structure involved in the pre-Christmas fire (the newly acquired warehouse mentioned at the start) was not made safe – or certainly not safe enough and collapsed onto the street . Phwew, another lucky escape for passers by – and Haringey. (See photo in post below)

MISSING BANKSMEN – too numerous to mention, banksmen are generally NOT in evidence when accessing O’Donovan’s site despite assertions that they have one and two at key times of the day… economic downturn... have they been sacked?

O’DONOVANS EXPANSION – now own three sites (one at top and one at bottom of Markfield Road and the new one on Constable Crescent) meaning that stress levels for pedestrians particularly those with young children out of buggies is rising high. Yep, it’s all about business around here.

BURGLARIES/MUGGINGS – two burglaries and two car break ins (known to me) in the surrounding area. Could it be something to do with the state of the general area? Not sure, but for somewhere that was low crime, it’s all on the up…

So, suddenly, life is not quite so quiet and a lot more dangerous… Oh and on top of that – in non life threatening ways we have…

• SNOW DELAYS - two days of snow mean the Payback team are delayed EIGHT weeks to clear the green bank in preparation for the spending of LAST YEAR’S Making the Difference grant.
• PARKING - ITAL’s and neighbour’s illegal parking on the crossovers forcing pedestrians into the route of O’Donovan’s (often) unregistered site traffic (big diggers and things). Doesn’t suggest that they have the slightest bit of respect or give a damn about the warnings issued by the Council’s Enforcement team. – (Might I be so bold as to suggest the introduction of parking tickets? Isn’t that what they’re for? Or is it merely for residents who’s CPZ permits are a day out of date?)

Fire - Water - Danger & Cost to us all - The Prefabs

Ahh, the prefabs.

The post above mentions the fire. I won't go into all complaints made about the prefabs prior suffice it to say that I first made contact with the council about them over 4 years ago and they continue to be an agenda item at every meeting since we set up nearly a year ago.

But, let's recap the last year

March/April 08 - Council Enforcement team inform residents that they have no power to force the council to clear up its own land - irrespective of major flytipping, vandalism etc. But, when the land was sold they would be able to move on it !!!???

Spring 08 - Consultation - Sanctuary Housing consultation with Homes for Haringey who own the land. To show plans. Herbert Road and Ashby Road invited to attend consultation on proposals by developers to turn prefabs into social housing / rent. (Ignore if you will the scale of their consultation!). Residents were primarily concerned to establish when the prefabs which attract vermin, fly tipping, fires, gas leaks, water mains bursts etc would be gone and how they could get them cleared (the council were rehousing the remaining tenants). September 2009 was to be D-Day. Residents, foolishly celebrated.

Autumn 2008 - Remaining residents appear to have been rehoused

Autumn 2008 - First set of squatters move in

November/December 08 - Apparent that nothing was happening. Chased council. Discovered land still owned by Council. Plans with Planning.

December - mains water pipe leaking in one of the vacant prefabs. Reported by residents via the Council 'help'line. (Ignore the fact that twice - "don't know who to put you through to", "there's noone here, can you phone back...!"). Seems to fall into a big hole NOT because it's owned privately but because it's OWNED by the council but VACANT!! As of writing, water still freeflowing between skin wall and base of structure....

January 09 - State of prefabs worsening.Broken windows with vicious shards of glass. Doors open enabling easy access for anyone up to no good - or curious kids. More squatters? Certainly more rubbish...

2 February - online request to get council to clear land of rubbish. Telephone callback assures that will be done within 3-4 days - taking longer because of the snow.

16 February - email exchange Residents / Priscilla Wakefield re RATS, INCREASE IN RUBBISH, use of land as URINAL. Draft mails prepared.

16 February - FIRE! - fire takes hold. Priscilla Wakefield Care Home evacuates.
Area "secured" (couple of metal barriers that a 10 year old could get passed)

16 February - Email sent to council seeking action.

19 February - told by phone that area down as cleared on 3 Feb (very nice girl obviously reading from the screen). But, looking at the rubbish - there's no change. Nothing has been cleared. So, rubbish about the rubbish...

20 February - discover that removal of the prefabs likely to cost about £30k - not including removal of any asbestos(!) - so unlikely to happen.
The proposals are still with Planning. The land MAY be sold to Sanctuary in March (but to be honest - why should they pay for the council's mismanagement of its own property).
How many more years will this go on? £30k is nothing in a council budget.

What can I say?
I despair. I want to cry. I want to scream and I want to stop paying my council tax.

Barring the coastguard (!) every one of the emergency services has been used more than once.

How much have the recent incidents in this area cost the council?

We were told by a council member that people do what they want because people don't complain - problem is that we are complaining - but who is listening....?

O'Donovans - the saga continues...

So, O'D's are now continuing their business expansion. Obviously been in the pipeline since before the meeting with residents on 2 December - for which we are still awaiting Council minutes. Hmm. Yes, look after businesses in the borough - but at what cost to residents?

A meeting took place (apparently) with 'officials' re the road system there - but who knows what happened there. We haven't been told. Was it simply to pacify residents - the 60 odd page document produced by O'Ds would lead us to think so. In essence it was puffery - it asked us to provide evidence. So we are / have and will continue to do so. Basically...

Nothing has changed since that meeting in fact...

..the situation is now WORSE having been exacerbated by their EXPANSION. They now have three sites - two on Markfield Road - one at top, and one at bottom, one on Constable Crescent and of course they are now parking in the middle of Markfield Road too (right next to the large housing complex being built!) Not a bit of road that they can't call their own.

Banksmen - the tales of missing banksmen are too numerous to mention. Are they the first casualties of an economic downturn? (Commerce over the people?)

Filth - the dirt when taking the kids to school means I and others drive (Haringey the Green Borough)

Yellow line parking & appropriating the only bits of non CPZ road in this area to further their business. Yep, it goes on.

Speed - nothing still beats the fact that I witnessed one of their lorries exhanging numbers with the driver of a car exiting the retail park at the time of the watermain burst and all traffic was travelling at 10mph. The van completed decimated the right front of the saloon car. Ironically, that was just as I left the meeting with O'Ds and the Council at the Technopark offices. They say they don't speed. And of course in that instance, it MAY not have been his fault but their vehicles drive TOO FAST and are TOO BIG and TOO MANY are UNREGISTERED for public roads.

Ooh look, here's one I caught earlier - without even trying! And don't say it was because of the snow...













- Their neighbours diagonally opposite their main site now drive as fast, if not faster, than O'Donovans, accessing their site just where people are coming out of the tunnel (ie from the dark!)

-

A bit of snow and a bit of post-fire building collapse...

Speaks for itself...

Builders... a common theme

Came across these photos... taken 18 months ago (March 2007) during the build of the care home.

Having taken over the real footpath the builders finally constructed a temporary footpath/walkway made for residents. And it was looking good here - as long as you didn't have a buggy, wheelchair, shopping trolley...

And it got worse - this is what happened to it just around the corner... it transformed itself into a dumping ground for the builders.

Why do builders repeatedly get away with such bad business practices in this part of the borough?

A sense of humour...

Someone obviously has one although I'm not sure that local residents had much of one after giving police statements at 4am in the morning.



So, pictures speak for themselves really pretty grim - but look, is that a car parked on yellow lines?




Certainly is... and not a parking ticket in sight...

The Housing Crisis...

Leave a house empty and it falls into disrepair. Leave a prefab empty in South Tottenham and it falls into disrepair extremely quickly, is vandalised, is squatted, used as a public rubbish dump, costs public services large amounts of money putting out fires, turfing out squatters, securing once, twice, thrice the empty properties – and of course it doesn’t help the housing crisis.

The prefabs have been a major blight on this area for over four years. Two have been vacant for all that time – and more!

In July we were promised that they would be flattened in September ready for Sanctuary (the housing association responsible for the building of Newton Road building / parking fame) – even if building was delayed. And it’s now January and the rubbish is mounting…

Sadly, the pictures taken on a grey day really don’t do that side of the street justice. I’ll try and get some on a nice sunny day when the filth and shocking state of disrepair is really apparent.

More missing banksmen...

More reports of no banksmen being in evidence even though lipservice is paid to it.

Interesting to note the sign saying it's a restricted site. There's one further along that talks of children not playing there - but it's OK, everyone gets to play in the road.

More recent reports of people who should know better allowing site visitors to park on the pavements and restrict access by pedestrians and not ensuring the vehicle was moved when approached about it. Hey ho.


There was some talk of screening from the road... I don't think this is what we had in mind...

Where's a banksman when you need one - or the two promised?

3.10pm - Wednesday 7 January 2009
Large digger reverses out of first gate without a banksman and drives round and enters the gate on the other side.

3.30pm - Wednesday 7 January 2009
School kicking out time so now parents with young children and secondary school children around... 8 wheeler lorry reverses into the site using the pavement - no banksman in evidence - and certainly not the two promised.

Also, a slight aside, given the arctic conditions we're suffering at the moment, perhaps spraying the road with water isn't quite so sensible at the moment nor washing vans on pavements where pedestrians have to walk...

Meanwhile the council invests in repositioning CPZ posts...

Why? The old one worked perfectly well - and in a no through road with only 20 houses just a little unecessary? There are two that now list at a 45 degree angle meaning another call to the council to report work to be redone... And this must be happening all over the borough...

Can't these people count?

“Considerate builders”

abide by their 8 car parking permit

with

14 vehicles (from cars to transit vans)

1 skip

2 containers (not shown)

2 empty spaces

And with an official permit that expired at the end of December there’s not a single parking ticket in sight!

How many visitors permits do you have to buy to have friends, family, doctors, workmen visit?

2 containers and space for 8 cars... or that's what the permission sign says!

These photos were taken midday midweek in January. And for the record I counted up: 2 aerial installation transit vans (same company) /1 white transit (no logo) /1 saloon car /1 space - no barrier /1 mini van- no logos /1 silver golf type car/1 space - no barrier/ 1 work van (building company) /2 containers /1 building mini van /gap for their entrance /1 skip

And of course it doesn't just end there does it? There's the dirt that's left on the road, the delivery vans are parked in the middle of the road at 8.30 and normal road users are told to drive on the pavement...

This has been going on for months... Similar things (and more!) went on when they built the care home next door. Similar things will continue to go in with every building put up in this area unless people and businesses start to complain.

Newton Road, N15

Oops on the pavement again...

Corner of Constable Crescent and Markfield Road, on the pavement and with wheels bigger than a 5 year old!







...and, two days before Christmas it was so quiet it certainly didn't "need" to be sat on the corner of the pavement

Constable Crescent/Markfield Road
23 December 2008

Road not good enough... ?

Considerate parking for people getting to the park with buggies and kids on bikes and scooters..


Everyone else seemed to manage it and it's not as if there's no other parking available further on down the road were they to be blocking an entrance...

And there are no parking restrictions - perhaps it's something to do with the cones which weave their way along the pavement..!

Markfield Road, N15
23 December 2008

No need to walk on the road, is there?

Hang on - aren't they public pavements?
Markfield Road, 23 December 2008

Up and down and up and down....

A normal day on Stamford Road...


...... but hang on - this is Stamford Road, NOT Markfield Road. We thought there was no need for anyone to use Stamford Road - particularly when loaded...

Stamford Road, N15
December 2008

Residential or industrial?

Outside someone's house - not a building site, not a builders yard, a hire plant business - someone's house...

Stamford Road, N15
December 2008

"Making good" after building work by private developers

Quality workmanship

A work in progress...

Rubbish - comes and goes and comes again...

The path to Markfield Centre
Summer 2008

An eyesore for a long time. It's gone now - but for how long?

No more illegal parking of skips - by an out of borough based company as it happens.

Unfortunately, in Haringey people really do dump on their own doorsteps... Businesses, residents...