HCA News 91 FINAL
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Highbury Community Association May 2015 HIGHBURY COMMUNITY NEWS highburycommunity.org | @HighburyCA | facebook.com/highburycommunity indefinitely postponed. When Wells Terrace finally closes, this is All change at Finsbury likely to cause much disruption, as people navigate through the bus Park: a mixed blessing? stations, and along Stroud Green Road to get to the other entrances on Seven Sisters Road and Station Place. What happens on Arsenal match days and when 30,000 people come to events at the Park - now that Haringey Council is allowing 15 days of events each year (trebling the previously- agreed allocation), and given that the station is the fourth busiest outside zone one? Other concerns centred on the two 21-storey towers for student accommodation, approved by Islington Council in 2010, despite its own planning policy stating that Finsbury Park station and transport interchange no more than 10 storeys are allowed outside the central zone. By DIANE BURRIDGE Section 4.3.2 of the Draft Finsbury Park Development Framework A s r e p o r t e d i n t h e l a s t Supplementary Planning Document Community News (Feb 2015), states that tall buildings in this area Finsbury Park is undergoing are no longer supported under massive changes: from the recently current policy. But hasn’t the completed Park Theatre and John precedent been set, people Jones Arts Centre, to the planned queried? City North twin towers, which will There was also discussion about c o n t a i n 4 7 5 b e d r o o m s f o r what councils can do regarding University of the Arts students. John Jones Arts Centre derelict buildings – which at This £220 million City North present is little. Councillor Richard development will include a further Surely, except for the twin Greening, Chair of the three 355 new homes, a cinema, fitness towers, these are all positive b o r o u g h s ’ F i n s b u r y P a r k club, and retail spaces for shops developments? And so, why Regeneration Board, called for and cafes. The station will get step were many of the participants powers of compulsory purchase of free access, a new Wells Terrace expressing concerns? derelict property, such as for the ticket office and Thameslink abandoned George Robey Pub on services by 2019. First, tentative plans by Rowans Seven Sisters Road, now a massive At a conference in February Bowling Alley to develop their site eye sore in the area. 2015, organised by the Finsbury from three floors to about 11 Encouragingly, participants Park Trust, 200 people came floors, taking some of the urged that a cross-borough t o g e t h e r t o d i s c u s s t h e parkland, were queried. How can Neighbourhood Forum and a developments, wanting to improve Haringey Council consider losing Finsbury Park Station Users’ Group and protect their area. While some any precious parkland? Once you be set up. The Users’ Group has may welcome rapid growth, it was start nibbling away at parkland, already met several times as a sub- also clear that management is what next? group of the Finsbury Park Trust, needed to ensure that London Second, the closure of the Wells and the HCA is an active member retains its parks, heritage and Terrace entrance to the station, of this. Anyone interested in being human scale - reasons why the City due to take place from April 2015 a m e m b e r, p l e a s e c o n t a c t is so popular in the first place. to October 2017, has been [email protected] Issue 91 highburycommunity.org !1 Highbury Community Association May 2015 Farewell and thank you to Lorie Karlin The HCA committee before retiring and going and editor would like to freelance, so we could thank Lorie Karlin for her not have had a more w o n d e r f u l w o r k e x p e r i e n c e d a n d designing and laying out p ro f e s s i o n a l p e r s o n the newsletter. offering her services to C o m b i n i n g h e r the HCA. p ro f e s s i o n a l i s m a n d She also served on the creativity, she has been Committee of the HCA r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e for some years as well as publication's attractive producing the newsletter and lively layout since for us. We wish her all the 2009, and we are sorry to best for the future. see her go. I n h e r p l a c e , w e L o r i e p r o d u c e d welcome Will Parkes, I s l i n g t o n C o u n c i l ’s HCA committee member leaflets, booklets and with responsibility for the flyers for many years website and social media. Calling all budding editors! The current editor of T h e re a d e r s h i p i s HCA News is moving on around 1000 members. in the summer and so we The time commitment to need a new editor. Could the role of editor is not this be you? Do you have vast, but being organised an eye for an interesting is an advantage! This is story or interview; fantastic opportunity are you motivated to for anybody with make the community writing or editorial the best that it can ambitions to gain be? Then you may j o u r n a l i s m a n d be ideally suited to editorial experience, the job! and build essential It is an unpaid, skills to add to your v o l u n t a r y r o l e CV. producing five issues a If you are interested in year filled with local taking up the position content. Articles are and would like to hear p r o v i d e d b y b o t h more from the present committee members and editor Lucy, or to ask any other HCA members who questions please email have felt the urge to take [email protected] or to their laptops and get in touch via Twitter - typewriters. @HighburyCA HCA visit to new Arsenal Sports Centre Arsenal in the evening in May. If you C o m m u n i t y would like to join the are offering v i s i t , p l e a s e e m a i l HCA members [email protected]. a free tour of t h e n e w The first 20 people to Sports Centre express an interest will be in Queensland Road. We included, and family and hope to arrange for an friends are also welcome. Issue 91 highburycommunity.org !2 Highbury Community Association May 2015 HCA annual general meeting round up By TOM RUBENS The Highbury Community Association held its 2015 Annual General Meeting and Party on Saturday, 18 April, at Christ Church. The Chair, David Fenton, began the meeting by welcoming members and reporting on the main local developments in which HCA has been actively involved. These included: participation in the work of the Finsbury Park Regeneration Project and the Finsbury Park Trust; consideration of the local impact of events in Finsbury Park, especially the concerts; keeping track of further developments in connection with The HCA AGM took place at Christ Church, Highbury the Arsenal Project to build a student block of flats; engagement w i t h t h e H i g h b u r y W e s t o p e n i n g , ( a n d s o m e t i m e s countries. It also opposes the Partnership, and with issues alarming), details about the current privatisation of both prisons and connected with the repair of the state of the penal system in the Probation Service, and Christ Church spire, the new 263 England and Wales. The League criticises the steep deterioration in bus route, and the enforcement of re g a rd s t h e c u r re n t p r i s o n prison conditions largely resulting the 20-mile per hour speed limit. p o p u l a t i o n o f 8 5 , 0 0 0 a s from the Government’s budget The Accounts were accepted, unnecessarily high; the figure is cuts. As regards our local prison, and the Management Committee higher than in other European Pentonville, Andrew indicated that re-elected. there have been staff cuts Our keynote speaker, Thanks to the local businesses who contributed of 42%, and that drug- Andrew Nielson, of the prizes for the raffle and auction, which raised over taking and violence are Howard League for Penal £300 for the Howard League for Penal Reform: widespread. Such was the R e f o r m , g a v e a n impact of the information illuminating account of the The Master Cobbler; Woodland Hardware; To Be he provided that, later in League’s history and work Established; Kobkun Thai Therapy; Five Boys’ the evening, the 40-odd since its creation in 1921, Health Store; Seasons and Blossoms; Gathering members attending the which included leading on Moss; Sunday Café, Gillespie Park; San Daniele del meeting raised £300 from the successful campaign Fruili; Arsenal in the Community; Holisitic Hair and a raffle and auction, to be t o a b o l i s h c a p i t a l Beauty; Prawn on the Lawn; Park Theatre; Meek donated to the League for p u n i s h m e n t .