The Panel received a verbal update from the
Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Local Economy, Cllr Ruth Gordon,
followed by a question and answer session on matters pertaining to
her portfolio. By way of an introduction, Cllr Gordon commented
that the last time she gave an update on her portfolio to the Panel
she outlined how the strategy for developing Tottenham and Wood
Green had been developed as the over-arching strategic framework
for a range of placemaking projects, and following extensive
consultation with the community and local stakeholders. The Cabinet
Member advised that since then, the team had been implementing the
projects that sat underneath this framework, such as:
Tottenham
- The opening of the Bruce Grove
toilet block and the removal of that building from the
heritage’s at-risk register.
- The restoration of the Art-Deco
frontage at St Mark’s Church.
- The Chapel Stones project in North
Tottenham, which involved a group of artists working with young
people to design a mural.
- A partnership project with Youth
Employability in Northumberland Park, providing employment support
for 16-24 year olds.
- The launch of a new market at Seven
Sisters, including the re-introduction of the Latin American
Market.
Wood Green
- Completion of the Eat Wood Green
project which involved a newcommunity-led food growing and
education space at Wood Green library.
- Penstock Tunnel had reopened
following refurbishment and improved drainage and lighting.
- The launch of the Business
Forum
- Improvements made to Turnpike
Lane
- The completion of projects at Wood
Green Common, including tree planting with local school
children.
It was noted that progress had also been made
with bigger schemes, such as High Road West, Selby Urban Village
and Broadwater Farm.
The following arose in relation to this agenda
item:
- A member of the Panel raised
concerns in relation to the Local Plan consultation seemingly
proposing that the library provision at Tottenham Green would be
replaced with housing and the fact that this seemed to undermine
the Council’s manifesto commitment to maintaining all nine
libraries. In response, the Cabinet Member commented that the Local
Plan sat under Cllr Williams’ portfolio. Cllr Gordon provided
assurances that there had been no change of strategy, and that the
site allocation for this location had been in place for a long
time. The Panel was advised that there were no current plans to
develop this site, and that the Council had a vested interest in
maintaining the existing leisure and library facilities on this
site.
- The Panel welcomed the reopening of
Seven Sisters Market and queried the fact that only 25% of the
whole building was being used. Members questioned what the plans
were for the remaining 75% of the site. In response, the Cabinet
Member advised that the Council did not own or manage the market.
Places for London owned the site. Cllr Gordon advised that she had
held positive discussions on how the site would be taken forward
with Places for London and the traders, and that these discussions
were ongoing.
- The Chair commented that the market
traders attending a recent Full Council meeting emphasised the
importance of culture based regeneration schemes to him, and it was
questioned how the Council were implementing placemaking schemes
which maximised culture within different communities. In response,
the Cabinet Member acknowledged that there were financial
challenges facing the Council, but commented that they were looking
at ways of leveraging funding and that the Borough of Culture would
encourage funding being available for a number of schemes. The
Cabinet Member highlighted the Seven Sisters Market as being one of
the biggest cultural placemaking schemes and suggested that she
anticipated it becoming a major hub within the borough for these
celebrations. It was noted that a cultural hub was in place within
the market and that the Latin American network had recently been
re-established.
- The Panel sought clarification about
the cost of the Bruce Grove toilet block. In response, the Cabinet
Member advised that she did not have the figures to hand, but
emphasised that as an at-risk heritage asset, the Council had a
responsibility to preserve it. It was commented that the sites
proximity to a railway had caused delays to the scheme. The Panel
requested a written response on the final costs of the scheme.
(Action: Abigail Stratford).
- In relation to Broadwater Farm, the
Panel acknowledged the written response provided by officers. The
Panel expressed a level of surprise with the cost of the scheme and
commented that it was not clear whether the £143m figure
included the costs incurred to date. The Chair noted that this was
a long running programme of works that had already received a
significant degree of scrutiny.
- The Panel sought clarification
around the Town Centre Strategy and queried what was being done to
reinvigorate empty shops in Crouch End and Muswell Hill. In
response, the Cabinet emphasised the importance of the opening of
Hornsey Town Hall and the expectation that this would give a boost
to the local economy. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that there
had been some reductions in the Economic Development team, which
were focused on town centre management. The Cabinet Member set out
that the Council was developing a growth plan for Haringey in the
coming months, that would align with the London Growth Plan. The
plan would focus on particular sectors, such as the nighttime
economy and it was hoped that this combined with the Borough of
Culture bid and the Euros, would build a lasting legacy in terms of
improving our town centres.
- The Panel queried what was being
done in relation to the business forum and what could be done to
re-engage with the Muswell Hill traders. The Panel queried whether
there were incentives that the Council could provide in relation to
empty shops. In response, the Cabinet Member set out that the
service had been working to re-integrate with the Traders
Association in Muswell Hill, including the work done around
Christmas events. The Cabinet Member emphasised the importance of
having a BID in terms of developing a lively high street that
people wanted to visit. Officers also advised that there were two
loan funds available for businesses and that there was a need to
understand some of the wider issues that led to there being more
empty shops and a decline in high streets. Officers also stressed
the importance of the conjunction between leisure, culture
facilities, and high streets.
- The Chair commented on the
Mayor’s ambition to turn London into a 24 hour economy and
questioned what strategy the Council was pursuing to find a balance
between supporting a nighttime economy and also protecting local
residents from nuisance. In response, the Cabinet Member stressed
the importance of working with both local businesses and local
residents. The Cabinet Member also referred to the need for people
to feel safe when out late at night, citing Green Lanes as an
example of thriving late night economy where people felt safe. The
Cabinet Member acknowledged that there were some locations that
were suited to a nighttime economy and others, in more residential
areas, that were not.
- The Panel sought assurances around
what the administration was doing in relation to supporting local
jobs. In response, the Cabinet Member set out that a new Connect to
Work scheme had just been launched with Haringey Works and an
outside provider. The scheme was aimed at those with complex
barriers to work, who needed a degree of wrap around support, to
help them sustain employment. The scheme matched up employers with
candidates, and it had received some government funding. Officers
advised that the scheme had only started part way through the year,
but that some figures could be circulated to the Panel at a later
point when there was enough data to make it worthwhile. Overall,
officers stated, the employment rate in Haringey was improving
based on the data for the last quarter.
RESOLVED
That the update from the Cabinet Member, and
the responses to the Panel’s questions were
noted.