Bowes and Bounds Connected
A Community Network for Bowes Park and Bounds Green
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
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Caroline Simpson on -
Some people have written to say that they are worried about commenting on planning applications as they dont wish to give their name and address.
In fact you only have to give your name. Give your contact details etc if you wish.
The Comments cannot, as you will understand, be entirely anonymous.
But you DO NOT have to give your address.
I have just confirmed this with the Planning dept today.
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Permalink Reply by Clare on
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"Some people have written to say that they are worried about commenting on planning applications as they dont wish to give their name and address.In fact you only have to give your name. Give your contact details etc if you wish.The Comments cannot, as you will understand, be entirely anonymous. But you DO NOT have to give your address. I have just confirmed this with the Planning dept today."
Thanks for that Caroline. Nothing to stop us now.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cowan on
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Other than the planning issues and anti-social behaviour, one thing that is forbidding on Myddleton Road is all the unsightly shutters. A while ago Caroline Simpson came up with a proposal to have "Shutter Art" on the shutters, made by putting computer generated images on vinyl on the shutters. See http://www.shuttermedia.co.uk/
Residents on the Myddleton Road Strategy Group (MRSG) were keen on this, but council officers did not think this was approriate for a conservation area and could potentially reward landlords who had put in formerly unlawful shutters. I think that shutter art is appropriate for improving the street and as the shops are closed when you see the shutters only reward local residents rather than the landlord.
An alternative I noticed in Bermondsey recently is to have colour co-ordinated shutters on diffferent shops. See photo here: http://www.bowesandbounds.org/photo/bermondsey-shutters?context=user
What do people think of this idea? We would obviously need to find substantial funding to implement it.
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It would not be new shutters themselves, just a vinyl stick on facing.
I understand your point about giving something to the landlords for nothing (or not very much), but sometimes you can't get to win-win in life.
The ideal would be to remove most of the shutters, but I can't see this happening. You need to be pragmatic sometimes.
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Tom,
Spray painting is an interesting idea, but it would have to be done to a very high quality to get approved by the council conservation officer.
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Permalink Reply by Caroline Simpson on
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None of the external shutters were 'approved', if by that you mean were they applied for and given permission. They are not allowed in a Conservation Area.
Many have slipped through because they were on for 4 years before the council took action. Then they cannot be removed by enforcement action. That is why the MRSG used some of a grant to remove some of the external shutters near the western end and replace with internal ones. To show that it looks better and is just as secure.
Some are still in the process of having enforcement action taken. On some it still hasnt even started so far as I know, despite being the street with most such actions in recent years. On at least one there is an Appeal in process.
It is the mind-set of the owners and tenants that must really be addressed. They must begin to see that it makes the street a more attractive place and therefore one with more trade, and potentially more profitable for them. The problem is that many of the owners/traders do not rely on that sort of trade so it doesnt affect their pockets. It is a tricky one!
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Permalink Reply by Cathy Herman on
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I will not be able to come to the meeting on the 16th as I am away sampling the street life of Bangkok! Tough call! I wanted to say how brilliant it is to see all the discussion,ideas and activism in these discussions.
Myddleton Road has been a bit of a puzzle. Why has it not been more responsive to new businesses wanting to set up there,to the wider population of Bowes Park and to the very local residents. I have been told it is market forces. But it isn't. A stranglehold on development has come from a few landlords and property owners-out to make the fastest buck.
I am a member of the Myddleton Road Strategy Group-councillors,residents and council officers. The group has existed for a while and has helped to achieve some good developments. Joint funding with English Heritage,funding for 128 for a year to kick start some development,better lighting,pavements, funding for gym,garden,market start up. But. it has not been and will never be enough. It may be that it is coming to the end of being useful. We will see.
But, what is important and great is the level of community concern,call to action and enterprise shown in these discussions. We can do things-comment on planning applications which are circulated by Caroline (this does help!);use local businesses, support community action. I think the meeting on the 16th will come up with new,creative ways to bring about change in this street which is so worth fighting for. A very early report on the potential of the street said it should have an arts and creative focus. We have so many talented and creative people in the area whom,I am sure, can flood the street with innovation! It may be that some of the local property owners-who have taken not notice so far- will begin to see the value in supporting change in the street.
And lastly, I am really pleased that this has not turned in to a political football. Our local councillors have worked hard on our behalf. They are at all our events, meetings,activities. And I particularly want to thank Matt Cooke for all that he has done. He has been engaged 'on the ground' fighting our corner and has made a real difference.
Well, time to sign off and to return to the street food and life of Thailand.
I hope the meeting is great. All power to you.
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Permalink Reply by Holly Shales on
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Cathy I totally agree with you on the points you have raised, I think if we are going to move forward and regenerate the road we need everyone on board.
There seems to be some good news coming out of Haringey C. now that 97 has been refused planning permission and long may this continue with the other applications, this goes to show that when the community speaks as a hole people listen, and we need to keep this up.
I too am pleased that this has not turned into a political football, and fully back your comments regarding our Bounds Green Councillors, councillors Joanna Christophides, Ali Demirci and Matt Cooke have in my view been very good in serving our area and we should keep at them to voice our concerns and our aspirations for the road with the Council and their colleagues.
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Permalink Reply by Caroline Simpson on
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Good news!!
Have just had a mail from Haringey Planning - very speedy.
They have today Refused the application for no 97.
You can read about it here.
Next steps? The Council will probably have to take Enforcement Action. The applicant will probably Appeal. We have all got to write on that Appeal. And hopefully the Appeal will be dismissed.
This is the first step in the right direction. Forward!
- Attachments:
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97 Refused Oct 2013.DOC, 32 KB
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Middleton on
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Congrats, is this the end of the beginning?
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Permalink Reply by Suellen edgar on
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Brilliant news, lets hope they refuse some of the other applications submitted too for small unit dwellings
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Permalink Reply by Liz Wright on
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Lionel seemed to be using some very useful arguments in turning down the application - which is great - unsympathetic relationship to the area ... 'over intensive use of this site' with 'poor standard of accommodation' 'in relation to floorspace standards and the levels of daylight'...feels like a step forward. I can't make the meeting as I'm going to BHORA - but hope it goes well.
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