Here is a brief summary of the main issues that the Residents Association has been dealing with in the past year.
Streetscene
We finally succeeded in obtaining a replacement tree for the one that was destroyed by UK Power Networks when Glasslyn Road was closed for electrical works in 2023, and it has been planted near the top of the road. Meanwhile we have removed suckers that have been growing at the base of established trees (particularly the rowan tree in Tivoli Rd).
Rental electric bikes continue to cause a nuisance, despite raising this with the Council. There is now a parking bay at the bottom of Wolesley Rd, but this is of no use for bikes being ridden to the School in Montenotte Rd. There have also been problems with bikes dumped at the entrance to the Hornsey Club.
Changes to parking permits were introduced by the Council this year. GMTRA submitted comments during the consultation period, which were predictably ignored, and the changes came into force in April.
We are pleased to see that the gullies in the road are now being cleaned more regularly by the Council, most recently in early September.
Planning Issues
We continue to monitor planning applications in our area for developments that affect residents at large.
The main development affecting nearby residents has been the padel courts at the Hornsey Club, which have been quite noisy. There have been a number of planning applications related to these, most recently an application to extend from two to four courts which was approved with conditions. However the operators appear to have fallen out with the Club and left the site at the end of August. We have attempted to engage with the Club to ascertain their future plans, but without success so far.
We also objected to the planning application by the Club to erect a sauna and were pleased to see this refused on the grounds of it being inappropriate on Metropolitan Open Land.
You can see all posts on planning issues here >>
Highgate Wood School
Last year the plan by the school, in conjunction with the cricket clubs, to reinstate a cricket pitch on the school playing field (off Montenotte Road) was a major talking point. This led to a campaign group submitting an application to designate the field as a ‘Town Green’, but this was eventually withdrawn. The latest information is that the school is in discussion with the council about the proposed use of the facilities and several issues still need to be resolved.
The Council’s proposal to make the bottom end of Montenotte a School Street is still being considered and we are in touch with the council officer responsible. Many residents responded to the consultation earlier in the year, and the consensus seems to be that the scheme is a bit pointless since the road is a short cul-de-sac.
Website/communication
We continue to maintain the GMTRA website and we send out newsletters to update residents on matters of concern. We have added a section with some historic photographs. A reminder that the website includes a directory of recommended local trades people, which residents frequently seek via the street WhatsApp group.
Neighbourhood Watch
Crime incidents in our neighbourhood are fortunately relatively infrequent.
The Haringey Federation of Neighbourhood Watches is now defunct and has effectively been replaced by a new system called MetEngage. We have registered our own neighbourhood watch with this. Meanwhile we have attended quarterly ward panel meetings, where local residents meet with the Crouch End police team and help to set their priorities. The current three policing priorities locally are shoplifting, vehicle theft, and thefts from vehicles.
Fly tipping in our roads appears to have abated somewhat, but it has been a problem on the path leading to the school field at the bottom of Montenotte Rd.