November | December 2012
Street Lighting and Crime
Our Association is conducting a spirited campaign to persuade Haringey Council to ensure that our streets, in particular Queen’s Avenue, are clearly lit when it is dark. At the same time our local Safer Neighbourhood Team has warned residents of the increasing threat from burglars as the evenings get darker and it becomes easier to identify unoccupied homes. Operation ‘Autumn Nights’, the Met’s seasonal awareness campaign to combat burglary, robbery and anti-social behaviour calls on us to make our homes less vulnerable to break-ins.
Our Chairman recently got in touch with Haringey Council and said: “The pavements are almost pitch dark in the evening in Queen’s Avenue. As Sgt. Williams of the Muswell Hill Safer Neighbourhood will confirm, the situation is getting worse and residents have been complaining for months. There is also a likelihood of increase crime such as breaking into cars.”
Will Duncan Save Ally Pally?
Our November speaker, Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Alexandra Palace and Park, hopes to return Ally Pally to its former glory and is overseeing the biggest and most realistic regeneration programme the building has ever seen. There is a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £16.5M with another £6.6M of matched funding to be found. These moneys would be put towards restoration of derelict space and putting it back into public use. If the bid is successful, works will be completed in late 2016.
Refurbishment of the East Court will provide access to the theatre, the BBC studios and to the ice rink. The historic fabric and services of the East Court would be repaired and existing features replaced. As well as making the space more attractive, it will open up new access routes within the Palace and provide a cafe and exhibition space.
The Theatre’s £8M refurbishment is the most expensive part of the proposal. It would become a ‘found space’, not a full restoration, for a wide range of activities. This would enable flexible use of the theatre to accommodate theatrical performances, music concerts, film shows, awards ceremonies, dinners and conferences. A flat floor will enable these diverse activities to take place. A single operator will not be sought for the theatre – instead individual events will be mounted by a number of interested bodies.
Accessible Bus Stop Arrives
A bus stop outside Boots on Muswell Hill roundabout for route W7 is, at last, to be built says Chris Barker, our Transport/Highway Officer. He reports that it is disappointing that the 144 will not be included. The problem is that the space there is restricted and it is necessary to ensure that only one bus is at the stop at a time. The campaign to site a bus stop here was launched to help people with mobility difficulties who find the present loading point on Muswell Hill inaccessible due to the excessively steep slope. This stop on the slope will however still be retained for school users and people from Parkland Walk.
The new bus stop with include lengthening this stretch of pavement and building out the entry point into Muswell Hill Roundabout from Dukes Avenue. The taxi rank is to be relocated to Dukes Avenue. There will be an overall six-week trial period for all these changes.