Haringey's Social Cleansing Bungle

Haringey Council has apologised to the residents of 30 flats at Nutfield Close in Enfield Borough, after the redevelopment of their homes was included in the Business Plan for the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV).

The HDV has not yet been formally established. The Stop the HDV Campaign will be in Court on Wednesday and Thursday this week to support Gordon Peters’s application for a Judical Review of Haringey’s decision to set up the HDV.

Join us demonstrating in support of Gordon, at 9.00am on Wednesday and Thursday, outside the Royal Courts of Justice, the Strand, London WC2A 2LL.

The HDV is a 50-50 joint venture between Haringey Coucnil and the Australian multinational developer, Lendlease.

The plan is to demolish and redevelop council estates and private homes in Haringey.

The Council’s promises of a “Right to Return” for residents have been exposed as false, because the HDV is EXEMPTED from the pledges.

This is social cleansing, hiding in plain sight.

Nutfield Close, the Florence Hayes Recreation Ground next to it, and a nursery and a car park, are all in Enfield Borough, but were all included in the Haringey redevelopment plans.

Haringey campaigners spotted the Enfield plans, and wrote to residents to let them know. Haringey’s letter of apology is a good piece of paper. It takes proper responsibility for what they have done.

Come and join the lobby outside the Court when our Judicial Review of the Haringey Development Vehicle is heard!

We need people at 9.00 am on both Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th October. If you wish to hear the case, there will be some public seating inside.

We are meeting to travel by tube from Seven Sisters (meet outside Costa Coffee) at 8.00 am, or from Turnpike Lane also at 8.00 am.

For those who cannot afford it, we will be able to help with travel costs.

For those who wish to make their own way, the easiest tube for Haringey people is Holborn (on the Piccadily line).

Turn left as you come out the main exit, walk down Kingsway, follow the road as it curls around at Aldwych, and the Strand (and Royal Courts of Justice) is at the end. It’s 10 minutes walk from Holborn station.

Haringey Council has apologised to the residents of 30 Enfield Council flats at Nutfield Close, after Lendlease included the demolition of their homes in the Business Plan for the HDV.

We look forward for more apologies in future, for Haringey’s mistaken policies, which would price local people out of the area with “leapfrogging” rents and house prices.

Nutfield Close, the Florence Hayes Recreation Ground next to it, and a nursery and a car park, are all in Enfield Borough, but were all included in the Haringey redevelopment plans.

Haringey campaigners spotted the Enfield plans, and wrote to the Nutfield Close residents to let them know.

Now that the plans have been confirmed as factual, the questions are:

Did Cllr Strickland know that the Business Plan included redeveloping the Enfield sites?

If so, did he agree with what Lendlease were doing?

Why was there no information or consultation about it?

If he did not know, why not?

The Council’s promises of a “Right to Return” for residents have been exposed as false, because the HDV’s Business Plan is EXEMPTED from the pledges.

Lendlease is a cynical and predatory international developer, which promotes demolition and the dispersal of communities.

Only three households ever returned, after Lendlease demolished 1,000 council homes at the Heygate estate in South London.

We look forward for more apologies in future, for Haringey’s mistaken policies, which would price local people out of the area, via “leapfrogging” rents and house prices.

Join us outside the Court.

Together, we can win!