DECEMBER 2025 ENVIRONMENT REPORT

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DECEMBER 2025 ENVIRONMENT REPORT
  1. Haringey Parks Department – General
    • The Parks department has not responded to our emails. So we have had a discussion with Cllrs Cathy Brennan and Pippa Connor and requested that they submit a Members Enquiry in support of the Association’s request to Parks to weed the Fortis Green Road raised beds (last undertaken in February), supply the promised new rose bushes to fill in the gaps at Midhurst Green, and provide a maintenance and walk around visit schedule.
    • Pocket Park – Following the Committee’s approval to contribute £500 towards the Pocket Park, the money has now been spent on new planting.
  2. MHFGA 75th Anniversary Legacy
    • Pocket Park upgrade – One item on the list was to prune the large Yew trees to let more light into the area for the new planting. Member Christine Cunliffe took the initiative to get two quotes, including one from Ushers (a Haringey tree contractor) and to start raising money for the work. Christine then asked Ushers to submit a planning application for the works quoted. We heard back via Ushers that Planning had refused the pruning and only agreed to raising the canopy. We are following up on the matter with the Trees Team with the support of Cllr Cathy Brennan
    • New Tree at the Muswell Hill bus shelter – As reported in October, Haringey leased the bus shelter to London Transport until 2033. TFL has rejected our application because “the proposed tree location is unsuitable due to the impact of sightlines and the area being extremely constricted”, even though the tree would not be in the traffic sightline.  We are following up on the matter.
  3. Muswell Hill Broadway Flower Boxes and the Trough – The recent mild weather resulted in some of the geraniums blooming again, which was a pleasant surprise.
  4. Colney Hatch Lane, Beds – The Association has employed a professional gardener to undertake some pruning and a general tidy-up of the beds. The pruning was last done in February 2024.
  5. New Trees on the Broadway – Following the photo shoot with Haringey cabinet member Cllr Mike Hakata, a Teams meeting took place on 30 October 2025 to discuss the next steps for planting the remaining 13 trees. Possible locations have been identified, and we are waiting for the Highways Engineer to survey the locations for services and other constraints. We also discussed the watering of the new trees in the summer. Haringey really need an additional water truck, but there is no funding.
  6. Street Bins – We have asked Veolia to arrange to pick up the 10 bags of green waste from the pruning of the Colney Hatch Lane beds and to arrange for a litter pick at Midhurst Green.
  7. Grove Lodge Gardens Path – The path has become overgrown and needs tidying. We are approaching The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) to cut back the brambles and clear the path.
  8. Local Issues – A number of the street bins and the surrounding pavement look quite dirty. We shall ask for the areas to be jet-washed.
  9. Graffiti & Fly Tipping – We have reported several issues, and Veolia has always responded quickly.