CROUCH END NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM AGM 6 JUNE 2026 held in the Council Chamber at Hornsey Town Hall

MEETING MINUTES

The meeting was well attended (68 in total), a list of attendees was compiled and will be assimilated with the mailing list already held.

In attendance were councillors Luke Cawley-Harrison, Imad Ahmed and Fiona Orford-Williams.

The Chair Mark Afford updated the meeting. He explained how the NF’s work had contributed to Haringey’s Local Plan which is currently under consultation. The NF had paid for two of the benches which have been installed in the library square and a third was crowd-funded.

The NF had worked with Haringey, Trees for Streets, and Luke Cawley-Harrison (councillor) in particular, to promote the planting of 30 trees in central Crouch End.

Mark outlined some of the more major planning applications coming up for decision: the YMCA building, the Oddbins site, Hornsey train station area (though this is slightly outside the NF area). He also mentioned two issues to be addressed at this meeting: the question of redesignation of the CENF and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds.

Mark gave an update on the changing ownership of Hornsey Town Hall, and the use (or not) of the various parts of the building. There remain vacancies for the food and beverage outlets, the coffee shop now open is only a pop-up, and the establishment of an Arts Centre remains in question although the new owners express an interest in art festivals and cultural initiatives. There was a discussion about the failure of maintenance of the trees and the garden planting, strong feeling was expressed and the general feeling of the meeting was that FEC, the developer, should do better. Likewise concern was expressed about the care of the new trees planted.

Mark is standing down as chair of the Forum after over 8 years, and over 13 years on the committee.

Rob Jackson addressed the meeting as the outgoing treasurer of CENF. He explained that neighbourhood forums are no longer funded. The expenses are not high and we have some funds for the current year but there may need to be some fund-raising in the future. He explained that he is standing down after 11 years on the committee.

AGM

David Blackman dealt with the formalities of the AGM and election of officers.

Apart from Mark and Rob all current members were willing to stand again. In addition Rob Gibbs, a tree surgeon, offered his nomination and all were (re-)elected without a vote being necessary. Following the AGM another nomination was found in a spam box: the committee will consider co-opting this person at its next meeting and details will be posted.

Redesignation of the CENF

Rob Jackson explained the position of the NF designated under the Localism Act, that its five-year period has expired and needs to be reconsidered. He also explained how this can benefit the local community. Although many decisions rest with Haringey, the council is assisted by the input of the NF and as a NF it is a body formally consulted by the council on relevant decisions. Rob explained that the committee had discussed other roles it could adopt, and that Haringey has indicated that it will support an application for redesignation. One member of the public expressed support for redesignation, there was no opposition.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Nick Hobbs explained that this is a fund held by Haringey, contributed to by developers over the years. It is ring-fenced to be spent on capital projects in the local area. The NF has held various consultation exercises over the last few years to identify appropriate projects. There is a total of approximately £500k, some of which has already been allocated to Queen’s Wood, Crouch End Open Spaces and for murals. The NF is to be consulted as part of Haringey’s decision-making and has already contributed ideas to the council as part of the ongoing process. One proposal is to remove some parking on Tottenham Lane and widen the pavements to make it easier for traffic and a more attractive area for pedestrians. The process has now reached the stage where the council has approved the funding and the NF proposes to press ahead with engaging with Haringey to finalise the details of a project to be completed with these funds. It is understood that Haringey intends the funds to be spent during this financial year but no more precise timeline can be stated at this stage. The decision remains with Haringey, not the NF, but we have been encouraged to think Haringey will take our suggestions seriously. As a member of the public pointed out, the development of the YMCA should be considered along with the Tottenham Lane potential plan.

There was a discussion over possible improvements to shop fronts, the council enforcement of any design codes, whether the CIL money should be spent on this, and the question of shutters which are not permitted in a conservation area but which may be required by businesses’ insurers. Also raised was whether shutters would/could be improved by murals on them. Another suggestion was the cleaning of the clock tower. The pedestrianisation of areas of central Crouch End was raised including the synchronisation of the traffic lights to enable safe and easier crossing of the main roads.

The meeting ended with a speech of thanks given by Janet Sutherland on behalf of the Forum to both Mark and Rob for the service which they have given to the local community over the years.