Tag: 100 Tower Gardens Road

Minutes from Community centre residents working group meeting – 25th Feb 2025

Minutes

Attendees: Dayal, Elena, Karen, Friedrich, David, Dan
Apologies: Kate, Liam, Vanessa

Notes:

  • Liam says to send him questions. No response yet to the question about the state of the roof. Karen will check with Liam for updates –  Update received after meeting: the council intends to get new locks to separate the yard so we can have keys. 
  • Dan reached out to HomeStart, no response so far. Citizens Advice were  excited about the idea of a new building.
  • Discussed Council’s update on Social Value Leases
    • Given how close, and our contacts, we said it would be good to understand how The Hub manages to run things, eg number of volunteers, who they pay, how much they get from classes, etc. Dayal to reach out to Dave M and Joan.
    • Our Tottenham discussed SVL update recently too – David: Reach out to them and get minutes of meeting. 
  • We’re unfortunately not in any of Shaping Tottenham neighbourhoods, as North Tottenham skips us, but would have had focus on “sports, culture, and entertainment”.
  • Council’s priority is housing, as seen from FoI response about traveller site decision, in which only consideration given was about number of possible houses, not preserving green space etc.
  • Examples of communities/residents banding together, eg Broadwater Farm Maintenance Co-op which took on meal on wheels, building maintenance and other over years – mentioned by David.
  • Survey:
    • Great way to have asynchronous engagement, and to leave up for multiple months
    • David has a first draft, which he’ll share
    • We need as many responses as possible to give weight to our work
    • Discussed how to attract TG resident’s responses, but also rest of ward and other, ie risk of making it too TG specific or not TG enough. Also talked about getting it into Haringey newsletter, or paying for FB ads, which is fairly cheap.
  • Coordination: Let’s use Google Drive and WhatsApp for now. Dayal to set up.
  • Immediate actions:
    • Community notice board – like the ones in Noel Park, with info about estate, history, community and 100TG. Could initially place one on fence (no need for permission), and then make a metal one to put on the wall (with Council’s permission). Dayal to put together some ideas, and share.
    • Planting in fenced off area outside 100TG – Something green and pretty to improve the general feel, but low maintenance and drought tolerant. Karen to make a plan
  • TG Website and possible use for 100TG work
    • Make an updated/2025 version of 1925 100TG photo to show our vision and contrast to past.
    • Post prominent link to survey – can we make a top banner in WordPress?
  • Plan a “survey” event around May
    • Ideally get Council to open up outdoor space for the day – engage with them once we have plan, poster and date
    • Backup plan: Have the event outside, put things up on door and walls. (Could possibly ask to close off one of the roads, as has been done before for street parties – and the council might prefer letting us in?!)
    • Make a poster
    • Plan the event
    • Ask Council to open up (at least) the outside area for event – Liam and Amanda got us access for tour, Dan can reach out again. What other avenues?
    • Publicise the event
  • Plan an “exhibition” inside the building
    • Way to get a foot in the door.
    • Use the historical angle, LCC stopping 60 years ago, OpenHouseLondon in Sept and London Festival of Arch to convince Council to open up space, and London Archives to let us use photos (Dayal has been, and they said that not all photos have been digitised, so there might be more.)
    • Also have a Community, and a 100TG side to “exhibition”.
    • Eg Bruce Castle had a nice tiny exhibition in their restored tower for Windrush anniversary
  • Feasibility study, operational model, social value model etc.
    • Eg do we take on whole building, or rent out top floors (eg to charities) to have income and then keep ground floor (and outdoors) only as community space?
    • David works a lot with HACT 4.0 to measure social value
    • Unit38 has about £1.5k that they could use to work on this, vision docs, images.
    • Unit38 has funds from Clothworkers Foundation, and should get more next year. They know about other funds that could be options for refurbishing building. Need to tell a strong story, lean into the history and the characteristics of the area.
  • Power mapping
    • Didn’t get to it in meeting
    • David to put a Miro board together and share.

Minutes from Tower Gardens Residents Group Meeting – 20 January 2025

Minutes

100 Tower Gardens Road 

  • The recent site visit to 100 Tower Gardens Road was discussed. As some of you know, Haringey are currently carrying out a feasibility study to determine the best way to use this building, the ground floor of which is empty. There is the potential for it to be used as a community centre. 
  • It was noted by those who attended the inspection that the ground floor was in a better condition than expected and would be an appropriate space for different sorts of events in the community.  
  • Haringey have said they’d be happy to look at a business case for a community centre while the feasibility study is ongoing. 
  • Some monthly meetings have been arranged to consider next steps and push this project forwads.  

Boarded up houses

  • The increasing number of boarded up houses on the estate was discussed. Examples include 75 Risley, 155 Risley and 150 The Roundway. 
  • Councillor Liam Carroll explained that boarded up houses are dealt with by the ‘voids’ team at the council. Haringey has recently set up a second voids team to deal with the backlog. This should speed up the rate at which boarded up properties are restored to use. 
  • The new built properties (next to Topham Square) were also discussed. Building work has stopped and Liam explained that this is because the contractor went bust. A new contractor has now been appointed and work should recommence in February. 

Maintenance and enforcement on the estate 

  • The general lack of maintenance on the estate was discussed. Specific concerns included leaves and hedge trimmings not being swept up and fly tipping. It was noted that these issues are not just about aesthetics and making sure the area looks ‘tidy’; they speak to how we want the estate to be managed.    
  • The issue of builders overcharging for mainenance (eg roof and window replacements) was discusssed. Someone asked whether the Residents’ Group could put together a list of questions residents should be asking to builders before engaging them – this is something we’re taking away.
  • Enforcement issues were also discussed, including the frequency with which people appear to disregard the article 4 development rules which apply to the estate. The question of unmarked cars parked around the estate was also discussed. Councillor Ahmed Mahbub said that people can report unmarked cars to the council via the Love Clean Streets app or by emailing coucillors directly. Councillor Anne Stennett said she understood the frustration in the room.

Great British Spring Clean

  • Karen discussed the Great British Spring Clean, which is taking place betwen 21 March and 6 April. It is focussed on clearing litter and reducing waste to improve our local environment. Karen and others will be organising three events during that period.
  • Karen asked that you please email her if you have ideas for events.  

AOB 

  • Councillors were asked when the next ward panel meeting would be. They will follow up on this and let the Residents’ Group know. 
  • The question of Tower Cafe’s planning permission was raised. Ahmed said he would get back to the group with more information. 
  • Councillors were asked about Haringey’s proposals for Travellers’ sites. An FOI requesting information about other potential sites rejected by the council was refused on the basis that finding the information would take too much time. Liam said it might be useful to frame the FOI request more narrowly.  
  • Liam mentioned a consultation on youth strategy in the borough, which he will send to the whatsapp group or to the secretary to distribute. 

Notes from the tour of 100 Tower Gardens Road

Minutes

Several residents inspected the building at 100 Tower Gardens Road on Friday 13 December. It was in a better state than we were expecting; the ground floor in particular has a large room looking onto the (slightly unloved) garden which would be a great space for small gatherings. 

Haringey haven’t decided what they’ll use the property for. They are considering turning it into temporary accommodation and/or hostel accommodation for people who are homeless, however they may conclude the building isn’t suitable for housing people. Haringey are in the process of arranging a feasibility study. 

They would be open in principle to the building being used as a community centre if it can’t be used for accommodation. Haringey would like to see a business case for the community centre and would be happy to look at a business case while the feasibility study is ongoing. A group of residents are going to think about putting a business plan together.

Interested in the future of the building at 100 Tower Gardens Road?

Email: towergardensrg@gmail.com

100 Tower Gardens Road interior
Main room – ground floor
Kitchen
Main room – ground floor
Hallway
Main entrance
Main entrance
Main entrance
View into main room

Minutes of the Tower Gardens Residents Group – 10 June

Minutes

Cllr Ahmed Mahbub from Haringey attended the meeting.

100 Tower Gardens Road
As you may be aware we have recently been told that this building can potentially be used as a community centre.
Cllr Mahbub explained that he has recently learned the building is in a bad state of disrepair, so it will be a long time before it’s in a condition appropriate for use by the community.
It may therefore be sensible in parallel to look for other buildings that could potentially be used for the centre.
Next steps: Cllr Mahbub will provide a timeline for Haringay’s mapping exercise which will consider all the council’s buildings and whether they can be better utilised. Cllr Mahbub will also arrange a time for people to visit 100 Tower Gardens Road.

Estate maintenance
The issue of people ignoring conservation area requirements when renovating was discussed. It was noted that Haringey does not take enforcement action against those who breach requirements, and that ultimately if those rules continue to be breached the estate will lose its unique character (and possibly its status as a conservation area).
Cllr Mahmud said that he could arrange for Haringey’s estate manager for Tower Gardens to attend a future TGRG meeting.
Hedge maintenance was discussed. Attendees thought it would be a good idea for the council to provide free green waste collections twice a year so that people can trim their hedges and dispose of the waste without having to pay for a green bin.
It was noted that there should be more notice boards around the estate so that local events and groups could be advertised and communicated to residents quickly. There should also be a digital noticeboard, which could serve as a source of information for new residents keen to learn about local networks, events and history.
Next steps: Cllr Mahbub to arrange meeting with TG estate manager, and TGRG to let councillors know where noticeboards should be erected.
Antisocial behaviour
Attendees observed that lime bikes are often left in the middle of pavements which can cause particular issues for people with disabilities, or people on mobility scooters or pushing prams.
It was noted that a resident had their tires slashed. Cllr Mahbub mentioned that there will be a meeting between the Met Police and White Hart Lane residents shortly at which these issues can be raised.
Next steps: Cllr Mahbub to provide details of meeting between WHL and Met Police.