October 2025 Environment Report

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October 2025 Environment Report
  1. Midhurst Green. Still awaiting a reply from Haringey Parks Department about the promised new rose bushes. Following up.
  2. Beds in Fortis Green Road. No weeding has been done since February. Haringey Parks is preparing a visit schedule for each local area. Following up.
  3. Pocket Park. Member Christine Cunliffe has laid new topsoil, planted new plants and bought two water butts.  With the help of local residents, the butts are being connected to the rainwater downpipe behind the trees. The Association will cover all costs.
  4. MHFGA 75th Anniversary Legacy
    • Pocket Park Upgrade. Quotes have been obtained to prune the large tree and let in more light. Quotations have been sent to Haringey with the support of Cllr Cathy Brennan, who submitted a Members Enquiry. Cllr Brennan is following up.
    • New Tree at the Muswell Hill bus terminus to celebrate the MHFGA Anniversary. We are now told that Haringey is not responsible for the bus shelter area at the roundabout, as it has been leased to London Buses until 2033. Haringey’s Tree & Nature Conservation department has agreed to contact Transport For London and see what can be done logistically to get a new tree planted.
  5. Colney Hatch Lane Beds. The beds are doing well, and Haringey is cutting the grass. We will soon be getting a professional gardener to undertake some pruning.
  6. New Trees on the Broadway. We have raised the following concerns with Cllr Mike Hakata, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport:
    • Insufficient water trucks for watering new trees.
    • Too few trees planted in Colney Hatch Lane from the roundabout to the end of the shops because of the many underground services. It may be possible to use planter boxes; this has been done in Green Lanes.
    • Urban spaces need more money. Cllr Hakata anticipated that Haringey would be dropping the green flags from the Parks and plans to allocate savings to the urban spaces.
    • The Council too easily agrees to dropped kerbs. Cllr Hakata acknowledged that this has been the case, and said that this, together with the paving over of front gardens, will be addressed in the new local plan.
    • Complaint by St James Lane residents about illegal parking around the North London Performing Arts Centre. Cllr Hakata confirmed that there will be more enforcement, not road closures/filters, which the residents have suggested, as the latter would have a far broader impact on traffic and cause congestion elsewhere.

      We are still in discussions with Haringey regarding the locations for the 13 trees that still need to be planted. The trees will be planted in the next planting season, from November 2025.
  7. Street Bins. As previously reported, the street bin located at the junction of Woodside Avenue and Gulliver Place, which leads to Tetherdown School, has disappeared. Still following up.
  8. Grove Lodge Gardens Path. In 2004, John Hajdu, former MHFGA Chair, persuaded Haringey Council to clear the overgrown path, resurface it with new edgings and upgrade the steps and stone walls. Over the years, we have tried to keep the path clear of the brambles, but little work has been undertaken recently. John has suggested engaging a gardener to improve the path, and the Association has agreed and will be obtaining a quote from a local gardener.
  9. Taps for Watering the Flower Boxes and Colney Hatch Lane Beds. We have not yet taken this forward because of the effort and resources required. For the moment, the Association will continue planting geraniums in the flowerboxes as the watering requirements are less demanding.
  10. A large vehicle appears to have struck the stone wall and copings of the raised bed next to the Association’s noticeboard at the corner between the Broadway and Fortis Green Road. Reported to the Council.