Issue - meetings

It was agreed that Cllr McNamara should be invited to the next meeting to provide an update on projects underway in the Wood Green area including progress of the TfL town centre scheme.

It was also agreed that the Police teams covering the three wards be invited to the next meeting to give a formal update.

Discussions were held during the Forum part of the meeting on the new planning Site Allocations Development Plan Document, with a specific focus on the Wood Green area, as part of the consultation process. The importance had been emphasised on retaining a focus on overall strategic planning in Wood Green as a vital context to determinations around the future of key individual sites. It was also commented that the Site Allocations Document should provide a more detailed breakdown of the housing mix proposed for future residential developments on key sites particularly in relation to the different types of affordable housing. Cllr Demirci as the Chair of the Planning Committee agreed to take this point forward with the Planning Service.

Key points arising from discussions following the presentation on the management of Japanese knotweed in the borough included the need to review the official guidance provided to residents on the Council website to ensure it reflected the most up to date best practice. The importance of adopting a proactive approach through educating residents about Japanese knotweed as a key tool in helping manage its spread was agreed and it was suggested that a campaign could be run in Haringey People and on the website to try and raise awareness of the issue. It was also identified that a number of different services within the Council had responsibilities with regard to the management of Japanese knotweed on Council land and the need to ensure that efficient, joint working was being undertaken including in the liaison with other significant land owners in Haringey such as Thames Water and Network rail to facilitate treatment on their land to try and reduce the spread. Concerns were also raised as to whether any support was available for people on low incomes in managing the plant on their land. Overall, the importance was agreed of the Council having in place a clear policy on Japanese knotweed covering fundamental issues such as joint working, reviewing the advice provided to residents, establishing processes for liaising with other land owners etc. The Chair agreed to raise this with the relevant Cabinet Member with a view to consideration on how this could be progressed.

It was noted that the Safer Neighbourhood Team representative had agreed to seek confirmation of the boundary of the dispersal zone in place around Turnpike Lane.

In view of the presentation provided during the Forum on plans for a public consultation on the proposed introduction of a 20mph speed limit in the borough, Committee members emphasised the importance of copies of the consultation and accompanying Frequently Asked Questions sheet being circulated to ward Councillors well in advance of the start of the consultation exercise. This would help ensure correct information could be passed on to local residents and to generally encourage them to contribute to the consultation.

During the Ageing Well presentation in the Forum, some evidence had been provided of a higher incidence of older people diagnosed with depression in the Bounds Green ward compared to the other two wards, which was of concern to the ward Councillors. Although it was recognised this could potentially be down to a number of reasons such as statistical anomaly or better diagnostic services in the ward, it was agreed that Bounds Green ward Councillors would forward details of local events or groups in the area to Adult Services to be included in the mapping process being undertaken to identify services and support available for older people across the borough.

The Chair thanked the presenters who had attended the Forum for the very informative discussions around domestic violence.

The Committee noted the update provided by officers during the Area Forum regarding the Wood Green Controlled Parking Zone. Residents had been advised to contact their ward Councillor regarding any further issues with the CPZ, as the potential existed for specific components to be reviewed by officers as part of the traffic management works programme.

The Committee agreed that the updates provided during the Forum by the Metropolitan Police on future plans for policing at a borough level as well as updates from the Safer Neighbourhood Teams in the area had been informative. In particular, domestic violence had been identified as a key issue and priority going forward for the borough set against a pattern of an increase in reported incidents. As such, it was agreed that a report on the Council’s approach to try and address this issue be added to the agenda of the next meeting.

The Committee noted the issue raised during the Forum relating to the provision of safe pedestrian crossing facilities during the duration of the repair works Thames Water were undertaking on Bounds Green Road at the junction with Braemar Avenue. The Head of Neighbourhood Services agreed to look into this.