Broadwater Farm Area estates ‘red-zone’ threat: support the community campaign

Haringey Housing Action Group supports the efforts of local residents who are trying to defend and improve their housing situation in the face of “regeneration” threats.  Below is  a callout from community groups on Broadwater Farm about an upcoming meeting and their request for support.

Object now! Public Meeting Wed 24th Feb!

From: Broadwater Farm Residents’ Association, Broadwater United Sports And Football Academy, Broadwater Farm Enterprise Centre, Somerset Close residents group, Lordship Lane petitioners, Moira Close petitioners, Back 2 Earth @ BWF Community Centre, Friends of Lordship Rec, Rockstone Foundation

Broadwater Farm Area estates under ‘red-zone’ threat

LORDSHIP REC SAVED! LET’S CONTINUE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER!

DEFEND OUR LOCAL ESTATES

DURDURUN BROADWATER FARM’IN YIKILMASINI.

Object now to shocking ‘second stage’ proposals by the Council which could lead to future blight, demolition and ‘redevelopment’ of parts or all of Broadwater Farm, Somerset Close, Lido Square, Moira Close, the Broadwater Farm Community Centre, and nearby homes along Lordship Lane. The official ‘consultation’ is on until March 4th – please support the local residents’ campaign…

Public Meeting @ Broadwater Farm Community Centre

Wednesday 24th February, 7pm at 1 Adams Road, N17 6HE

Please send an objection now to ldf@haringey.gov.uk along the following lines (or add your own thoughts):

“We object strongly to the draft Local Plan proposal SA62 for a demolition and redevelopment ‘red-zone’ covering Broadwater Farm, Somerset Close, Lido Square, Moira Close, and some houses along Lordship Lane. The proposal would cause massive stress to all concerned, displacement and disruption for years as well as blight and undermine all the successful efforts over decades to build a strong and stable local community and to improve local facilities. It breaches a whole range of planning policies which should protect our community.It is unacceptable & should be withdrawn immediately. Instead the Council must work with the community to protect, support & improve all the existing homes, estates, facilities and communities in the area. The proposal is unsound in planning terms as it is very inappropriate compared to the alternative of repair and refurbishment of the estate rather than demolition which would not require a site allocation in this plan.”

The facts   The Council’s planning department are proposing a demolition and ‘redevelopment’ zone for the ‘Broadwater Farm Area’. This area includes not only the estate and all its marvellous community facilities, but also Somerset Close, Lido Square, Moira Close and the houses to the north along south side of Lordship Lane.

The new proposed zone is indicated by a red line on a map taken from the Council’s draft Local Plan for Haringey 2011-26 – ‘Site Allocation 62’. If this proposal is not chucked out now it would mean increased powers for property developers throughout that zone in the future, backed by Council encouragement and support. There is a borough-wide consultation over the whole draft Plan until March 4th 2016. It’s vital that everyone objects strongly and objects now! This includes all those who objected before, otherwise the Council will no doubt falsely claim they are ‘winning’ the argument.

Lordship Rec saved!  Opposition works. There was outrage over the original proposals (which included possible house-building on a third of Lordship Rec). Residents demanded the whole ‘red-zone’ threat be withdrawn. As a result the Council has abandoned the threat to Lordship Rec, but not yet withdrawn the whole zone. A Council planner has told us that the proposed use of a large part of the Rec for house-building was because ‘otherwise the demolitions on the estate could not go ahead’.

A threat to our community   The strength of feeling was demonstrated at our public meeting last year attended by 200 residents. This totally unnecessary attack on local communities would cause massive blight and stress to all concerned, displacement and disruption for years, and undermine all the successful efforts over decades to build a strong and stable local community and to improve local facilities. Local residents have worked long and hard to make Broadwater Farm one of the most attractive and well-served estates in the UK. The estate has won national awards for successful community-led regeneration and empowerment, and is now admired throughout the UK. The Council should be celebrating what’s been achieved instead of allowing planners to dream up outrageous proposals to destroy existing homes and facilities and break up our communities.

Broadwater Farm   The residents, and the Residents’ Association, have worked with the Council to dramatically improve the estate over the last 30 yrs. It now has great facilities, play areas, health centre, schools and so on. In the last 6 years a range of refurbishments and repairs have been made – yet bizarrely it has now been put on a list of Council estates facing possible ‘redevelopment’. We say it is the Council’s duty as the landlord to look after the estate properly. An additional estate consultation is underway just on Broadwater Farm asking residents what they want the Council to do to improve the estate – we say ensure all repairs are done, do effective maintenance, improve entry systems for all blocks, and protect all the existing facilities.

Broadwater Farm Community Centre   The Centre was built to serve the area and its communities, following a residents’ campaign 30 years ago. It enables the Broadwater United football club and its 10 youth teams to flourish. And the Centre’s grounds are now the wonderful community-run Harmony Gardens. It is outrageous that the Council have explicitly included the Centre and its grounds in the ‘red-zone’.

Somerset Close, Lido Square and Moira Close  These are pleasant low-rise estates of secure and affordable housing with gardens. Council planners, however, have produced a map proposing these particular estates to be ‘suitable for tall buildings’ of 6-11 storeys in the future.

Rights of residents?  The council and Housing Associations have an obligation to re-house secure tenants if their homes are knocked down. But where? There could be pressure to accept places out of the area, or housing association properties with higher rents and poorer tenancy rights.  Leaseholders would be bought out, but at prices that may make it hard to be able to afford anywhere else local (perhaps not even in London) to move to. Private tenants on the estates would be made homeless. Residents would have to be ‘consulted’ but such ‘consultations’ are usually biased in favour of what the Council has already planned for the area.

Why are they proposing this?   The Council aim to cram thousands of extra homes into an already densely populated borough in order to reach the Mayor of London’s housing targets. These homes are usually expensive private homes unaffordable to local people in need. Property developers care about only one thing, maximum profits for themselves. This suits the Council as they want to sell off public land and facilities to generate income. The result is local people being priced out of Tottenham in favour of ‘gentrification’.

What we should all do   It is vital we continue to speak out for the needs of our community, and support each other. That’s been our strength and our success over the last 30 years in this area.

  • Respond to the Haringey Local Plan consultation (see below).
  • Support and get involved in local community groups.
  • Sign/publicise the petition – http://chn.ge/1IhtHoa  [Google: ‘Stop Redevelopment Broadwater’]
  • We ask all local organisations to back the campaign. Let us know: bwflordship@gmail.com

Please send an objection to the Council along the following lines [even if you’ve made such an objection before]
“ We object strongly to the draft Local Plan proposal SA62 for a demolition and redevelopment ‘red-zone’ covering Broadwater Farm, Somerset Close, Lido Square, Moira Close, and some houses along Lordship Lane. The proposal would cause massive stress to all concerned, displacement and disruption for years as well as blight and undermine all the successful efforts over decades to build a strong and stable local community and to improve local facilities. It breaches a whole range of planning policies which should protect our community.It is unacceptable & should be withdrawn immediately. Instead the Council must work with the community to protect, support & improve all the existing homes, estates, facilities and communities in the area. The proposal is unsound in planning terms as it is very inappropriate compared to the alternative of repair and refurbishment of the estate rather than demolition which would not require a site allocation in this plan.”

Email to: ldf@haringey.gov.uk  Or post to: LBH Planning Policy, River Pk House, High Rd N22 8HQ by 5pm, 4th March

best wishes,

Broadwater Farm Residents’ Association
Broadwater United Sports And Football Academy
Broadwater Farm Enterprise Centre
Somerset Close residents group
Lordship Lane petitioners
Moira Close petitioners
Back 2 Earth @ BWF Community Centre
Friends of Lordship Rec
Rockstone Foundation

Supported by:  Broadwater Farm Children’s Centre Parents Forum, Broadwater Farm Enterprise Centre, St Benet Fink Church, Church On The Farm, Lordship Rec Users Forum (stakeholders organisation for all the parks User Groups), Lordship Lane residents group, Higham Road Allotments Assoc, Tower Gardens Residents Group, Lordship Rec Eco-Hub Co-op, Back 2 Earth, Rockstone Foundation, Tottenham Clouds, Haringey Defend Council Housing, Tottenham Civic Society, Haringey Friends of Parks Forum, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, Haringey Solidarity Group, Haringey Trade Union Council, Haringey Unite Community, Haringey Green Party, Haringey Play Association, Tottenham Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Tottenham Socialist Workers Party, Omega Works Tenants Association, Strawbridge Court Residents Association, London Waterkeepers, The Bermondsey Joyriders, Woodlands Park Residents Associations.

Info: www.lordshiprec.org.uk/bwflordship/
Contact: bwflordship@gmail.com
Petition: http://chn.ge/1IhtHoa
Fb: www.facebook.com/savebroadwaterfarmandlordshiprec

February 5, 2016  Tags: , ,   Posted in: LOCAL CAMPAIGNS, NEWS