Attendees: Dayal, Elena, Kate, Karen, Julia, David

Notes

Engagement:

• Current strategy relies too heavily on WhatsApp; need a mailing list and public meeting notes for broader reach and transparency.
• Previous meeting minutes were inconsistently published, Karen to update

Meeting with Council:

• Met with Capital Projects and Properties Director and Head of Property Non-Residential and Disposal Lead;
• Council’s position: Building is not formally an Asset of Community Value; disposal by end of financial year (March). A six-month “informal” moratorium offered for group to raise funds and/or prepare a proposal.
• Council seeks best market value, no discount for social value. This will be a significant financial challenge.
• Proposed monthly meetings. Confirm and establish.
• Council offers a freehold sale, not a lease, with no ongoing relationship. Limits our ability to trial and test.
• FOI request for building condition survey was refused, citing sensitive information.

Building usage:

• Council will consider community workshops only if linked to vision/business planning, not for general activities.
• Discussed managing security costs with United Guarding; no fee waiver yet.
• Plan and book monthly workshops in the building; invite experts.

Fundraising and business plan:

• Require business feasibility study and business plan to secure large capital funding.
• Recommended engaging expert consultants (Kate to reach out to contacts) for business plans etc.
• Architectural Heritage Fund feasibility grants are a potential source of funding, but application is 8-12 week.
• Need a clear vision document with updated event photos and tangible plans for funders and council.

Group organisation:

• Clear roles (chair, vice-chair, secretary, …) needed for governance and credibility.
• Group workload imbalance; need more delegation
• Ask for new members bring specific expertise e.g. business planning, PR

Timing:

• Strict timeline: disposal by end of March, progress sought by Christmas.
• Architectural Heritage Fund’s payment in arrears could require short-term loans to cover
• Timeline will be a challenge, needs the group to prioritise.

Attendees: Kate, Karen, David, Dayal, Friedrich, Julia

Notes

Consternation about possibility that 100TGR will be put up for sale, and difficulty of accessing information around this.

Response to this:
Use September community event to galvanise community response to potential sale
Contact Ruth G and placemaking team re access to further information and to express concern
Make application architectural heritage fund to demonstrate interest in preserving building.
Investigate potential Lottery Awards for All funding.
Share with local community WhatsApp groups
Write to MP
Gather information on whether surveys have been done on 100 TGR by councillors and council officers, including a feasibility study or any independent valuation of the building.
Investigate potential for community asset transfer.

Noted that the council suggestion of allocating time at the Selby Centre to Tower Gardens community groups is insufficient;
Does not address concerns about the state of the building
Does not take steps to preserve the heritage of the building
Does not provide a permanent solution for the community for an accessible and flexible space
Sets up gatekeepers for the community to access the space, which is the opposite of the intention for a community space
Is too far away from Tower Gardens to be accessible to the local community, in particular older people, families with babies/ small children and neighbours with any mobility issues.

Event 13th September
Ask Council for access to front of 100 TGR.
Develop a flyer for distribution end of July

Actions
Dayal to email local councillors
David to reach out to Ruth Gordon in placemaking team
Condense strategy doc into 1-page summary
Develop longer version of strategy doc with more details including potential for income streams
Ask Council for access to front room/ entryway of 100TGR for September event.
Consider potential organisations for partnerships in relation to demonstrating use of the building which could be used to either 1. Show potential for income streams (ie potential tenants of upper 2 floors) or 2. Show potential for the building to fulfil Council’s obligation for service delivery (are there any council services that could be delivered from the building?)

Attendees: Dayal, Karen, Kate, Dan

Apologies: Julia, Dan, David

Notes

• Update from Liam
  • Get back to him with our ideas
  • Would be good to add dream to email…
  • Who else should be involved?
• Deadlines:
  • Email Liam on Monday
  • Message whatsapp at same time.
  • Need ok for event
• We have event funding
• Event
  • Flyers delivered
    • How much: £100 pounds
    • Would have to be card
    • Very bright, not look like publicity
  • Aim: as many people as possible
  • Face painter: £250
  • What times?
    • Families do stuff in the mornings
  • How to do outside?
  • Street party: 75% ok, TG too hard – NO
• We do something regardless
• Alleyway – is public. Kate checked.
• Yard – clean it already
  • Can we use the yard?
• Ask for help in WhatsApp…
• If event is outside then could be more of a campaign
• Could become a booklet to people
• Choir – ask Melissa

Attendees: Dayal, Kate, Karen, Friedrich

Apologies: Elena, Vanessa, Dan, David

Notes:

• How we engage with Council etc.
  • We all agree that being confrontational is not the approach we want as TGCC, and that we need to always think about what we will achieve when we engage
  • Ward has local elections in a year – will there be more attention payed to TG/ward?
  • Liam had offered a meeting with Ruth
• 17th “wrap up”
  • Good turnout! Surely some overlap with survey, but a lot of them weren’t there for event, they were just passerbys
  • There is so much footfall on that corner. It’s a really good spot for a community space. Engagement needs to be outside the building/on that corner whenever we do engagement events. Would this be good for a “business” on the premise. Building is so central to Estate. 
  • A lot of people surprised by size of building. Felt like a waste that it was empty.
  • A lot of conversations about why something on estate was important. Old age/disability was a very common theme in why something nearby was needed. People enjoyed chatting to each other too.
  • Most people wanted things that could all fit in the same building e.g. at different times and with multi-use rooms. 
  • How fast do we engage with Council? Now!
  • Where could we share online to get more numbers on survey? When doing research for exhibition/talking to people.
  • Immediate neighbours came out to strongly state that they don’t want a space for lots of people from outside the estate which would lead to further issues with parking.
• Plan for September event
  • Vision for building
    • For Sept we don’t have time for a proper feasibility study
    • Kate’s experience of feasibility studies: 5k for quick and dirty, 70k for full study
    • Call it a “dream” rather than a feasibility study. Who coordinates? Kate. Develop a brief – with principles, eg as cheap as possible, conservation area, set example for retrofit for estate, …. – and to David to work with this
    • Where did Kate used to get money for this?
  • Community celebration
    • We should focus on community celebration – more than vision/feasibility study
    • Ask long term residents to spread the word Would need to prepare some structure?
    • Small group of people doing research? Emmanouil, Dayal, Karen, …
    • Who leads?
• Eco refurb angle
  • example of airsource heatpumps, … could a company want to promote their business on estate by sponsoring refurb of 100TG; could a company want to use whole estate as an example of retrofit and sponsor?
• Access to building
  • Ashley said they’d clear garage.
  • Who is the right person? Do we need to go to Ruth? Ask Liam to help set up meeting?
  • Make sure we are indeed having right conversations with right people and not invest a lot of time e.g. on yard if then someone else might take over…
• Clear up
  • Do we volunteer to make safe/remove decking – general feeling was no, see points above
  • Andrew & Andreia offered to help (also for other DIY, e.g. painting) if around. We do need to recruit more people.
• Reach out to respondents – when have plan/brief
  • Think about plan for comms
• Is there a placemaking strategy for building – again ask Ruth

Attendees: Dayal, Karen, David, Kate, Elena, Vanessa

Apologies: Dan, Friedrich

Notes:

• May event planning
  • Promotion:
    • Ask people to do their own streets/neighbours
  • Objective: Get approval to use yard, get engagement
  • Activities:
    • A week in the life – post-its for ideas
    • Floor plan – post-its for “i wish this was”
    • Chalk on the wall – write what? “I wish this was”?
    • Flag and bunting making
    • Photos and talk about building, as an attraction point
    • Organization:
      • Send risk assessment, assume we will have access
      • What do we need?
        • Ask neighbours: FoTGP mailing list; Google sheet with stuff we need and who has what?
      • Need to padlock the gate open
      • Bad weather – chances are people won’t come if it’s bad. David has a gazebo he can bring. Do it unless it’s terrible.
      • How do we want to elicit and record peoples ideas?
        • Get people to scan QR code, but also print surveys
      • Have stuff both outside and inside to make ourselves visible, so we attract people walking by, and not just those coming to event
      • What do we want to promote (groups, events)?
        • FoTGP, RG
        • 14th june Park picnic (21 june: Hen17 Bruce Grove)
          • Kids face paint each other – FoTGP sponsors
          • Choir on 13 Sept instead?
          • 13, 20 Sept events
        • Do we want any tea? Music? Other?
          • Let neighbours know. And engage with them. Need a decent speaker.
          • Electricity?
        • What do we need to buy, make, borrow?
          • Gazebo? Table?
• AOB
  • September event
    • Dayal to email about application – saying we will apply assuming we can use yards and ground floor (only) for exhibition
    • Vanessa can reach out to Bambos, and others…
    • Review costs: Anything missing?
  • Meanwhile/immediate use of yard and building?
    • Do we see a way we could get approval to use?
  • RC First Aid Training
    • Face-to-face – they come to you (could we do in 100TG?) and we might need to contact to see availability
    • Wait for face-to-face or do online? Do online individually.
    • Once we have access to building go for a face-to-face one, and offer to other neighbours (or volunteers)

Attendees: Dayal, Karen, Kate, Friedrich, Dan, Elena

Apologies: David

• Updates
  • Karen: Council – risk assessment for tidy up sent, haven’t heard back from Council yet.
  • Updates on meeting with councillor Liam Carroll:
    • Liam to try to share a floor plan before survey results.
    • Citizens Advice need a new building.
    • TGCC to speak to Tony about May event.
    • Liam to speak to Amanda about September event.
  • Council’s new policy on Social Value Leases: They want to standardise, get rent and do maintenance. What does it mean for us? Should hear back from Council meeting by end of April.
• Association:
  • Fiscal hosting services, eg social change nest, avoids incorporating, but provides a lot of advantages.
  • Open collective fund – cf kickstarter, very transparent, provides a banking structure where people can contribute and your books are essentially public.
  • Plan
    • Figure out what FHS would entail, and be ready, but don’t act yet.
    • Look into Open Collective Fund
  • Bank account
    • We probably will want our own bank account for TGCC regardless, but if too hard to set up in time for London Mayor application could use FoTGP or other.
  • Membership
    • How do you become a member?
    • Dayal to update Constitution – DONE
  • Roles
    • Dayal nominated as secretary
    • Karen nominated as treasurer
• Insurance
  • Friedrich and Dan, on behalf of TGRG agree to provide insurance
  • Kick off insurance day before first event, which would be May event
  • Dan to follow up and look into insurance, starting with ones Karen has used for the park
  • If possible see if we can recoup money through funding
• Aside: Community ownership fund by Gov finished with 15M£ left, and may reappear. This is one of the few options out there.
• Access to garage – would be good to push for this. Could we clear ourselves?
• May event
  • We have access to yards
  • Getting for approval:
    • Try to send risk assessment immediately
    • Kate to share simpler examples
  • Backup plan: outside
  • First aid – everyone interested. Haven’t needed it in past for other events. Dan has recent CPR.
    • First aid kit. Useful for park too. Have one in park in litter pick box but old.
  • Would be good to have something about the building/space as lots of people won’t know it… e.g. Floorplan, photos, …
  • Definitely want Bunting and party atmosphere stuff
  • We could try hang a flag as discussed before.
  • Questions:
    • What could this be? (More important than “what this was”)
    • We need to make sure that it’s focused on finding out what what people want
    • Oppositional vs propositional approach discussed
  • Discussed tweaks to poster, and to share and put up
  • Put together a Google Doc with what we need
  • Reach out to neighbours of 100TG. Key stakeholders, and could be useful for event(s).

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

Notes:

• Liam sent updates
  • Has put Karen in touch with the ‘Corporate Landlord’ team about access to the yard
  • Hopes to provide a update on the building survey soon. 
  • Suggests reaching out to Haringey Community Collaborative (publicvoice.london/haringeycollaborative/) 
• DM suggestions (and following discussion)
  • agrees we should do a consultation, in person preferably
  • Will share Hub business plan
  • Look for lots of people, all sorts of skills, time and commitment needed
  • Work in parallel on getting in and short term plan as well as long term plan and business plan
• Entity:
  • Might be better to be a separate entity to the residents group
  • Hub started as “Friends of”, then became Coop
  • Good to have an entity from day 1, that you can then show has been around and has built experience/track record
  • Letting, and engaging with other charities, council, etc. might require entity to be a Coop/CIC or BCorp
  • Good to have separate membership.
  • Dan: Will likely have people on both groups, and make sure that means we get the most from all groups
  • Bank accounts are tricky, but Friends of TG Park just got a new one, and also examples of Allotments, RG, The Hub, etc.
• Anti-social behaviour around 100TG:
  • Need to think about how to deal with people lingering and drinking around there
  • Lordship Rec entrance has become a problem spot, and this extends to 100TG
  • Could use alternate entrance through yard to avoid using main entrance right where people drink, and to have more control
  • Caution around how and when we open to public
  • Set the mood for the space e.g. by having a kids focus from start
• Social Value Leases:
  • DM: Hub provides services inc. volunteering hours, public toilets (difficult), free use for park groups, cafe
  • Took 5 years to negotiate lease after already in and running as Coop
  • Council wants to limit discounts to 20% or more of market value
• Engaging with other groups/potential partners/users of 100TG
  • DM: 4 groups semi-locally that need a kitchen e.g. for food distribution. Difficult, and can attract problems, but an option if we have a kitchen. Food poverty is quite a high priority right now.
  • DM: would be good to have more groups. DE: Wolves Lane example with multiple groups; also SS market.
• Business plan:
  • DE: what social value model to use? HACT4.0 is more about social housing, but could be a good angle to focus on Estate and support of residents… Energy efficiency, Rent Association – run multiple advice sessions.
  • Council due to release their model at next meeting – assuming this will be what they want us to use.
  • Climate angle e.g. panels on roof…
• Access to building and state of yard (Karen)
  • Decking and floor surface in back space in poorest state, front yard and ground floor better.
  • Karen has given the council some details for potential uses of the outside space
  • We will need to complete a risk assessment before using the yard, and get the ok from the council’s health & safety team
• Group reviewed the survey, poster, graphics and community board
• September exhibition needs to be flagged to OpenHouse by end of May if happening. Would need permission to use at least some of the interior.
• May engagement event for residents:
  • Best weekend is 17th, probably Saturday
  • Need to put out surveys and posters immediately
  • DE to work on updated image for posters
  • Might want name of group already?
  • Start by putting up survey, promoting on website, putting posters around and then see how it goes before thinking about flyers

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.

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