Bounds Green & District Residents Association

Barry James is one of the leading bgdra activists against the Pinkham Way plan; here is an update from him from the front line:

Dear fellow residents,

Hopefully you are aware of the latest from Haringey Council but just in case you aren’t – here is the news.

A few days after Haringey Council made its announcement that the NLWA outline planning application was 'on hold', it emerged that the government’s Planning Inspectorate had lambasted Haringey Council on the consultation process used for the Core Strategy. Specifically, Haringey had sought to change the land designation at Pinkham Way from ‘employment’ to ‘industrial’. Clearly the council thought that they needed to make the change to smooth the path for the NLWA’s proposed new waste plant. 

Sadly they tried to slip the change through the backdoor of the Core Strategy, but the inspectorate (with help from residents) spotted the manoeuvre - with the result that Haringey were accused of running a consultation that 'could appear to be prejudicial to the interests of fairness and natural justice'.

Haringey are now running a new consultation which is open between 22nd September and 3rd November.  It is unlikely that you will know about it unless you are already registered with the Council, as someone who has expressed an interest, or you visit libraries a lot. For your information, here are scanned copies of the three page consultation letter from the Council. (Page 1; Page 2; Page 3)

Details of the consultation can be found online at:
www.haringey.gov.uk/local_development_framework/core-strategy-examination

I am reminded of the tip from Sir Humphrey, in that wonderful TV show 'Yes Minister', when he suggested that if there was a need to slip something important passed a Minister of State without him noticing, then you made sure his nightly red dispatch box was full to the brim with boring and largely irrelevant departmental paperwork and the important paper (always a single sheet) was slipped into the middle somewhere. Haringey Council obviously watched the programme.

Don’t let Haringey Council slip something past you – follow up on the information we have supplied here, and make sure you let them know before November 3rd that the change of land designation at Pinkham Way is wholly unacceptable.

Good Reading,
Barry James