Myddleton Road... A Street Worth Fighting For

We’ve spent the last 18 months focusing on making The Step the best it can be but we are now thinking more about the future of Myddleton Road and how we can all work to make it a better place. We don’t want to look backwards, we are where we are, but we need everyone including the relevant people at Haringey Council to share our enthusiasm for this street and, more importantly, the Bowes Park area to be bullish and belligerent about our future.

The potential for regeneration in this curious little “Bowes Park Triangle” of ours is immense. We have the excellent transport links, the availability of relatively well-priced housing and the enthusiastic spirit of a creative community. Look at the massive success of the Myddleton Road Market and how it brought our own community together and drew scores of new people to the area. This was a reason to be proud and must be capitalised on.

So we must ask ourselves why the heart of Bowes Park is a rundown, ramshackle street crippled with high density, low quality housing and the multitude of anti-social problems this brings? We must ask why illegal and ugly shutters out number open shop fronts at a ratio of five to one? Because this Myddleton Road does not reflect the vast majority of people who live in streets and roads that surround it so difficult questions must be asked of Haringey as to quite how the street has been left to rot and decay like this. We know of several people who have wanted to set up a business in the area but couldn’t find a retail space to let so we must ask why in less than 100 metres we have ten “property” companies whose activities contribute absolutely nothing to the local community?

We are not kidding ourselves that the solutions are easy and we know the historical reasons that led to the decline of Myddleton Road as a shopping street. There are probably many issues that we don’t fully understand but we founded The Step because we believe in Bowes Park and want to put back something in to the community as well as trying to make a living here. Without being too big headed we are bloody proud of what we have achieved so far but we want to make it very clear that if Haringey Council is not serious in backing the future of Bowes Park then we will move elsewhere and we will do this soon.

We didn’t open our business because we looked at the area and saw pound signs to get rich quick. We opened The Step because we saw a huge potential for long term regeneration and improving the quality of life here but nearly two years on, the signs are mixed and confused. On the one hand, the rubbish in the street is getting worse, anti-social behaviour is significantly on the increase and the quality of housing on the street is becoming ever more alarming and absurd. This is spreading to other roads in the area, make no mistake about that.

However…the positive news is that we know there are local people who want to invest in Myddleton Road. We know that there are many local people in Bowes Park both old and new who care deeply about the area. We know from personal experience that there are many people considering moving to the area but the ugly and seemingly unloved High Street is a big drawback for them. We have a brilliant street market, beautiful community garden, the Tin Tabernacle and an outdoor gym. In two years time wouldn’t it be brilliant if that last sentence was a paragraph?

So let’s not use the past as an excuse for passing more and more poor quality, high density housing in the area …let us use the future as a reason for saying no, this will harm the people who live here, your proposals are of no benefit to Bowes Park whatsoever. Let’s all of us work together to get that English Heritage money flowing in to Myddleton Road because if managed correctly it will make a world of difference.

It is also vital we engage with the certain landlords on the street because when we have spoken to them they don’t seem to have any idea of the damage they are doing to the Bowes Park community. They also don’t realise the huge potential of the properties they own…by train, we are twenty minutes from the City of London and the same from Shoreditch, the creative centre of London. Bowes Park could and should be the next big emerging area of our capital but a handful of cynical, short-sighted landlords don’t, or won’t, see this potential and have their foot to the throat of Myddleton Road. This is choking the life out of a whole area.

Do we throw our hands in the air and leave the future of Myddleton Road and, more importantly, the wider community of Bowes Park in the clutches of a handful of landlords who live far away from the boundaries of Haringey. We have put too much into The Step to walk away just yet and over the coming months we will be doing absolutely everything we can to put Myddleton Road and Haringey Council in the media spotlight…its blighted and bungled past and present, as well as its future potential.

Because it is a story worth telling and a street worth fighting for.

Let us know what you think by posting on our discussion on the Bowes and Bounds Forum.

Yours in hope

Nell and Mat

16 members like this

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kari Koonin on October 4, 2013 at 10:59

Also signed and shared. Spread the word!!

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Permalink Reply by Holly Shales on October 6, 2013 at 0:54

Chris I hope you are not trying to make political capital out of this, this is our road not a political football for the Lib-dems or any other party to score some brownie points, I have not seen a lib dem in my area of Palmerston Rd or BG for the last 3 years so why is it that you lot have become so interest in Myddleton Road suddenly.

Please can you and your colleague's stop trying to make political gain from our Area and come up with some ideas.

Owww by the way I do not support any political party, I stopped that when you lot got into bed with the Tories.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Jenkinson on October 6, 2013 at 8:14

Hi Holly,

Thanks for your reply. What area of Palmerston Rd or Bounds Green would that be? The Bounds Green Lib Dems went doorknocking along Palmerston Rd a few months ago.

I don't think that most people would agree that the Lib Dems writing to Council officers, organising a petition, or in general campaigning on issues relating to Myddleton Rd is using it as a political football - in fact as you can clearly see in this topic it is a serious issue which a lot of people - including Lib Dem supporters - care about!

I don't actually think the problem is a lack of ideas for the street - it's actually the lack of enforcement - by the Council - of a level playing field for businesses on the street: where some people follow planning rules to the letter and spirit, and some take the rules with a pinch of salt.

We'll be coming to the meeting in a week and a half's time so perhaps I'll see you there.

Chris

Lib Dem campaigner in Bounds Green

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Permalink Reply by Suellen edgar on October 6, 2013 at 10:10

Seems we're not the only community group appalled at illegal sheds being converted into accommodation dwellings, Barnet have similiar problems.

Follow the link below to read an article from "Haringey Today" by Jack Cohen , Liberal Democrats group Barnet Council

http://www.haringey-today.co.uk/coldetail.cfm?id=1332&bid=1157&...

*NB this response has been edited by an administrator to provide a link to the article on the newspaer website rather than reproduce the full text here - which is in breach of copyright.

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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Berthoud on October 6, 2013 at 15:36

Indeed http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10143697/Blighte...

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Permalink Reply by Holly Shales on October 7, 2013 at 22:05

Chris I really do not care about the Lib-Dems and your silly petition, I remember there was a LD councillor here in Bounds Green he was awful rude and did not really care about the area. the only events he attended was those where there was an photo opportunity and the same also goes for Lynne Featherstone the last time a saw her was about 2 years ago is this how much the LD's care about Bounds Green? . As I said in my first reply I am not political and do not wish to tow this conversation to that arena, I really do not care who gets elected in this area as long as they work hard for Bounds Green and to be honest with you I think our Bounds Green councillors have done a very good job, I see them on a regular basis in and around MR and PR actually I’ve seen more of them in the last 3 weeks than I have of the LD's in the last 3 years.

I do not wish to reply to any further political point you have to make, however like me as a local resident I am happy to listen to what you have to say about the regeneration of MR, what are your ideas, and please do not say more enforcement.

Local Resident, not politically affiliated to any party

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Permalink Reply by John Mellor on October 6, 2013 at 18:57

Holly

I fear you may be right - I think I can detect a bandwagon being jumped upon here ... and it is being done to support a very narrow party political interest in advance of next spring's local council elections.

It is only possible to sign this "petition" if you agree to your name and contact details being collected and made available for future Lib Dem campaigning. Whilst I may agree with the sentiment of the petition I do not want to assist the Lib Dems negative political campaigning against Labour controlled Haringey, nor do I want to receive their propaganda in future.

This community campaign is stronger without the partisan interests of any single party sticking their uninvited noses in. We as residents are in a better position to do this as a collective and apolitical group. It would be damaging to turn a straightforward community demand for planning enforcement into a political battering of the current Labour Leadership of Haringey - as the Lib Dems have done recently over bin collections, empty houses ... etc. etc.

Sadly this bunch have form on this forum - creating a stir about a local issue - simply creating a critical petition and not actually doing anything to make a difference, or even following through the original complaint does very little to inspire confidence.

Thankfully if the political polling revealed in the press this weekend, plays out as predicted in the local elections we will be rid of this shower of chancers, opportunists and negative "campaigners".

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Permalink Reply by Liz Wright on October 6, 2013 at 23:32

I have lived in the area for almost thirty years on Brownlow Road. It is great to see the community spirit and determination on this site. Great to hear newcomers being so positive and hopeful about the area. It is worth fighting for. Brilliant to see that Nell's post has had over 4.000 views!

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Permalink Reply by Liz Wright on October 8, 2013 at 8:30

I have just checked out the plans

The building at 97 seems to be a key issue where rules and regs have been flouted. The issue is about unscrupulous landlords being allowed to exploit this area. It is about Haringey allowing landlords to set a precedent – others will be watching to see what happens to this building. If it is allowed to remain more will move in – as is happening with the other applications.

Are Haringey interested in the regeneration of Middleton Road or are they not? If not why not?

Why is this being allowed to happen?

Like others said I do not want to put my name and address on the planning site but Haringey do need to be held to account about buildings that are put up without planning permission.

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Permalink Reply by Liz Wright on October 10, 2013 at 12:46

Thanks for the clarification but there is so little up there I would not feel happy about making such a public declaration yet.

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Permalink Reply by Administrator on October 7, 2013 at 16:43

The comments below have been forwarded by Caroline Simpson - who urges everyone concerned about the future of Myddleton Road to raise their voices through formal objection to inappropriate planning applications:

Discussion on this site is terrific… but PLEASE, do comment on the current applications for the street. The planning officers do have to read and consider the comments, they do not have to read this website – great though it is.

You can access and comment on these on-line at http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/Applica...

HGY/2013/1955 is for 112A , which is just beside the Christopher Place flats. To convert the disused thing at the end to 3 flats. Lots of inaccuracies on the application documents, but still important for you to comment.

HGY/2013/1916 is for 122 which is currently a disused shop on the ground floor and he got Cert of Lawfulness for a flat on the ground floor back in Dec last year. Now applying to convert a 3 bed flat upstairs to one 2 bed and one 1 bed. Why more smaller flats? ((Why wont the owner let the shop to one of the people who say they are looking for a shop to rent? Is someone living behind the shutters like at no 100?)). Just out of interest – the property was bought by Maplefield Properties of Green Lanes for £317,500 in July this year!

HGY/2013/1908 is another app for no 95, the one next door but one to Mr Moore's. A critical one for the road. Smaller extension than was refused earlier in the year. But why any extension at all? The existing extension is big enough for living and kitchen combined, and still have 3 beds upstairs. No need for two lots of stairs to the first floor unless the intention is to then apply to divide it into 2 flats. What is really important here is for the Conservation Dept to be involved in the façade – for example, I think and hope that lovely stained glass exists above the shop window similar to that at no 66 on the opposite side.

HGY/2013/1935 is for 51 Myddleton, a domestic property, one up from the Palmerston corner, still in conservation area, conversion from 2 flats to 3 flats. The proposed second floor flat is tiny!

And you still have time to send your comments in to the council about no 97, HGY/2013/1626, that shed turned into twee bungalow in under a month.

Basic questions about the road, and the area as a whole,

1. do we want any more decent-sized family flats and houses converted into smaller ones – many without gardens?

2. do we want any more back gardens built over?

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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Berthoud on October 7, 2013 at 22:14

I want to echo this. Inspired by discussions on here, I've started looking into applications. If you can spare some time to have a look it's really interesting. For example, a straightforward look at the application for 112A reveals basic inaccuracies.

I've just been looking into 122 and referencing the "Managing Change: Conservation and Regeneration of Myddleton Road" report of February 2011, 122 Myddleton Road is identified as a Conservation Priority Building ranked 3A, alongside its neighbour 124 (3B priority). Its ranked 5th priority on the whole street. This is therefore a key building for the Conservation Area. When the report was written it states the authors got no response or interest from the owner or tenant. There's clearly someone interested in it now, although perhaps they haven't seen the report.