Stroud Green Beautification

harpistic

As many of us will (may) have noticed, there's been an active discussion on the K1 thread about ways of scrubbing up the area.

Comments can be seen from here downwards http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/2332/k1-on-stroud-green-road/#Item_69 - it was suggested by James Daniel to create a separate thread for this and any further discussion.

Let's go!

marko

I think first of the list would have to be a moratorium on any more fast food outlets or betting shops. Sadly, I don't think the local councils are easily able to decline planning consent for these.

ChangN4N6

Yes, the place needs a facelift and there must be some public money - if places like Barnsbury where my boss lives gets a "period makeover" why not round here. The Cllrs should set up a consultation, that worked in Archway which got some improvements . I like the bars so don't close them and make it like crouch end, full of kids clothes shops at high prices but no decent pick up, sorry, social venues.

Question: did the houses on Sgr (Larric to Nandos) all start off as houses or were they shops / kebab shops from the Victorian times? The fronts all look 1960s, the built on bits.

Chang

Ian

I'd modestly start with wheely bins so that every Monday my street isn't strewn with litter. Last week it just stayed there all week, rubbish from the recycling boxes blowing down the street. I would be very much in favour of grassing over the access road opposite Tescos and the other one. I would ask all the freeholders for information on their requirements on painting/signage to ensure that the shops were sticking to their leashold rules. I'd get rid of all temporary signs. Tollington Park is fast becoming a model for how it should be done.

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marko

I think that the front portion of the shops on SGR started out that way - if you look on some of them there is decorative plaster work at the boundaries between properties.

Tollington Park is as it is because it's a conservation area, so there are constraints on what the shopkeepers can do to their frontages. Some have still fallen through the net or were like that before the area was designated.

I suspect most of the rest of the shop-keepers on SGR couldn't give a toss about conservation or heritage unless planning constraints force them to, and even then, probably only with enforcement action from the council (my garden backs onto the rear of several commercial premises on SGR, and it looks as if several property owners have got away with breaches of planning law in the past).

One very quick improvement would be to replace street trees in the few places where the previous tree has died (or been killed). There are a couple of empty tree-pits towards the Worlds End.

gardener-joe

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Ali

On the Haringey side the current recycling boxes are going to be replaced by recycling wheelie bins so that should help on some of the mess side of things. I also believe that it is a conservation area on the Haringey side; it certainly is in the side streets. I think the council does try to enforce the conservation area through planning applications. I think that if you think something dodgy is going on have a look at the council planning web site to check the planning application. If not is not there or the conditions are being broken make a complaint. I have done that successfully several times with Haringey. The Haringey site is <http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/housing_and_planning/planning-mainpage.htm>; This does cover regeneration as well. If put your post code into <http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet > you will probably be surprised at the number of applications that you didn’t know about near to you. It is not about stopping change but getting it done sympathetically and not at the cheapest cost etc

odd stewart

It's happening a little bit already I suppose; Cafe Bon Matin, The Front Room, Season's kitchen, Stapleton Tavern, Old Dairy, Sainsbury's (sort of), Petek - all of these are nice looking places. Just need the non-food/drink places to step up too.

Houses are another matter - I live on Ferme Park Rd and the feeholders here don't seem to give a shit about the fronts of houses. My front garden is shite to look at.

We also don't need any more fast food places. I already worry that Firezza may turn into 'mississippi chicken' at some point. Those places are the worst.

I am up for getting behind the movement!

Arkady

OK, I’m regarding the creation of a new thread and pleasing hollers of support as a call to arms. Give me a couple of days to come up with a brief plan of action and a draft charter that we can debate. I’m going to suggest that we speak to Hornsey Historical Society and ask them to do another presentation on the history of Stroud Green – perhaps in a large and appropriately antique location such as the Stapleton. This could be followed by an inaugural meeting and vote on any draft that we come up with here. We will need to decide how formal we want this to be. Perhaps something like Friends of Regents Canal, where they have four meetings a year and elect a chair for the year, but no formal constitution? I’m happy to throw a lot of time at helping to set this up, but I may have to self-disqualify myself from a long-term role as I may have to move out of the immediate area at the end of the year (maybe only as far as Drayton Park). Another key decision would be whether we cover all of SG or just SGR. Just shops, or houses too? Thoughts? Any other key decisions before I draft anything? Some comments in response to some of the above: The Stroud Green conservation areas are somewhat partial, and exclude large parts of SGR south of Tollington Park: Islington: <http://www.islington.gov.uk/DownloadableDocuments/Environment/Pdf/conservation_2010/conservation_area_design_guidelines/ca_39_stroud_green_map.pdf>; Harringay: <http://www.haringey.gov.uk/stroud_green_conservation_area_map.pdf>; Also, they don’t apply to crap alterations made before they came into force. Any group we set up could be used to facilitate co-ordination between the conservation and planning officers on both sides of the boundary, as well as to apply pressure to enforce the rules. In response to Chang’s question: at the last history talk that I went to (as did ADGS) we were told that the villas on Stroud Green that you mention did not originally have shop fronts, and that these were added later. I do wonder about that though, as (as Marko points out) the shop-fronts are very regular and mostly have regular plasterwork dividing them. Worth investigating. Ali and Ian make good points.

Arkady

I should also mention the Tollington Park conservation area: <http://www.islington.gov.uk/DownloadableDocuments/Environment/Pdf/conservation_2010/conservation_area_design_guidelines/ca_25_tollington_park_map.pdf>;

Mirandola

Exciting. I don't have the time or the skills to lead this, but I'd love to help out.

Arkady

Another before/after, this time in Bow courtesy of High Street 2012 funding: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/2650828050>; <http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6131041883/>;

harpistic

Like @Mirandola, I don't have much spare time but would like to help out - I could build a website to help pool everything and have a central forum etc. (Not a fan of Ning sites).

Arkady

I was hoping that someone would offer web skills. That's very kind harpistic. Re a forum: Andy & David may have opinions on this, but it might be that a sticky thread here might be all we need at early on, and would bring wider exposure.

harpistic

I agree about forum, and I did think about that at the time - perhaps we could have a subdivision on here to keep it partly housed here?

I think a pub meetup to discuss all our plans to date may well be in order!

Arkady

A subdivision might be an imposition, but a sticky thread, perhaps, if this doesn't fizzle out (I'm anticipating our hosts' objections here). Yes, a pub meet. Let me draft that proposal and have a word with the good folks at Ye Olde Stapletone and at HHS. Won't be long.

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andy

sticky until you lot get bored.

gardener-joe

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ChangN4N6

This is very positive and would to get the Cllrs on board, maybe some officer support ? I read about the olde Corporation of Stroud Green. It would be cool to revive it (including party lifestyle they led...) for the purpose of beautifying Sg. What about a Christmas fundraiser ? Chang

krappyrubsnif

This has already been done and we elected and toasted a new mayor at the Stapleton Tavern a few months ago, however a quarterly meeting at the pub is surely overdue. Mr Beadle (Tom)?

Arkady

Indeed. Chang, do a search for the corporation on this very forum and you will find a wealth of information. Krappyrubsnif is a local hero for his efforts on this matter.

Mirandola

Could we look into smart bike parking too? Something like the PlantLock.

Arkady

@Mirandola: Interesting. Were you thinking for front gardens or as street furniture? I like the bike-racks at the new DLR stations on the Stratford International extension: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100739024/in/set-72157627563085364>;

dorothy

On that note I think there should be more bike racks at the station. Sometimes I cycle down if I've got a long journey and no time. There's normally no space to lock my bike up and all the lamp posts are taken.

Arkady

Is there not that enormous bike storage facility by the station for that very purpose? When do we get Boris bikes?

Thomas

Would be good to get Boris Bikes. Dont think it would ever happen though - don't think the model would work for a big commuter station like FP. All the bikes would disappear by 7am and there never be enough docking stations to accomodate the bikes in the evening commute home!

Arkady

I suspect that lots of people would ride into central London and then get the tube back up the hill on the way home, leaving them with something of a redistribution problem.

dorothy

It costs around £1.50, and it's extra minutes faffing about.

Mirandola

@Arkady,

I was thinking as street furniture, but front garden would work too.