Say 'No' to knocking down Rowan's

Soon

Yesterday, I have been for the first time to the Rowan and must say it was pretty fun. Are they still planning to knock it down? Has a specific project been awarded?

trainspotter

I have been wondering this too. I like Rowan's. Its always busy too so presumably I am not the only one. I presume it is the city north development that threatens it but is all hope lost?

NorthNineteen

No one is planning to knock it down. The council merely identified it as a site which could meet housing need which means if the owner looked to develop it it would be conpliant with council planning policy

trainspotter

Ah I see. Thanks Northnineteen for the explanation. Maybe they could put a condition on the planning permission that you can have your swanky housing above as long as you maintain a slightly scuzzy but well loved bowling amenity on the ground floor?

Arkady

That said, I heard from a couple of reliable sources that the owners were very keen to redevelop the site... though that was a few years ago now.

mattrobinson

I am not in favour of redeveloping an amenity like Rowans without leaving anything better for the community in its place. But surely a sensitive redevelopment which opened up the entrance to the park from the station plaza, as well as recreating community facilities plus something more commercial to pay for the whole thing, is not completely impossible to conceive? Done right it could finally give FP a real focal point. Have the three councils concerned given up on this idea?

trainspotter

@mattrobinson - I posted something similar earlier today about potential regeneration of that end of the park.

NorthNineteen

The draft local plan says: "An appropriate leisure/community facility use to replace the existing Rowan’s bowling alley must be provided at the foot of the new buildings" It also says the Twelve Pins must be retainined (albeit within the new development)

HolbornFox

That's interesting re the twelve pins, I didn't think the council would take that as community asset, unlike me.

NorthNineteen

They don't actually say it is a community asset - they do for Rowans though - just that it should be retained.

HolbornFox

Even that surprises me to be honest, i would ACV both of them personally.

Papa

The council published grand plans a while back for a street drinkers plaza outside the station, where the buses usefully go from and to move the buses on to Seven Sisters Road to make sure it is properly blocked. Rowans was identified in that as a potential gateway to the park.

miss annie

That will be a nice campsite for the rough sleepers - I expect there will be tents. There are three tents on Piccadilly just by Piccadilly Circus this week. The police and safer neighbourhoods team in Westminster are not doing about them, I doubt Haringey/Islington will be fussed about a campsite popping up outside the tube. Why anyone imagines that this will be some glorious Italian style piazza is beyond me.

trainspotter

It doesn't sound fully thought through - particularly the buses issue. It's annoying enough that there are no through buses from Stroud Green Road down Blackstock Road. But on a more positive note Granary Square at King's Cross is great now and on a smaller scale the infill at Philip Lane in Tottenham has made a big difference to that corner.

Arkady

Agree that Granary Square is great. A huge part of the reason for that greatness is that it's privately owned, which means a) the build-quality of the square is amazing and b) private security means it's not being vandalised or colonised by rough sleepers or piles of rubbish. This makes me feel uncomfortable to the point of queasiness, but it's a fact that can't be avoided.

Papa

Granary Square also wasn't a useful bus station

TheMimsy

There are campsites everywhere: spotted one on the Highbury Corner green patch roundabout and a few at Euston.

TheMimsy

There are campsites everywhere: spotted one on the Highbury Corner green patch roundabout and a few at Euston.

Arkady

People, please read the announcement on the front page. You only need to click send once and then refresh or go back to the front page. Sorry for the weird error message, and that your post doesn't seem to appear - I'm waiting for the server to be upgraded to match our shiny new version of the forum software.

TheMimsy

Sorry thought my phone had gone a bit mad...

NorthNineteen

TfL objected to moving the buses away from the station entrance unless Haringey could find an alternative site; which I don't think they can...