A community group is being evicted from its space in Tottenham Hale, as property developers prepare to build on the site.
Homegrown in Tottenham has run a community kitchen, food bank and Saturday school from a meanwhile-use project called Grow Tottenham since 2018. They provide advocacy and advice to those who need it, assisting with application forms and appeals from the site in Ashley Road, N17. Throughout August, Homegrown hosted a weekly summer school, including a film club, pop-up classroom and cookery lessons. During the cost of living crisis, it has proved an invaluable resource for those on a low income in particular.
But in July, Homegrown – alongside countless other businesses, community groups and individuals who use Grow Tottenham – received an eviction notice from Projekt, which manages the site on behalf of the housing association Notting Hill Genesis. Collectively, they were told to evacuate by 29th August.
When HCP visited Homegrown in mid-August, the mood was sombre. While the young people ate lunch (delicious rice and vegetables rustled up by the founder, Rose Dakuo), business owners were busy clearing their belongings and dismantling the space piece-by-piece. It had become clear that the summer school would have to wrap up earlier than planned.
Rose said: “We were planning to do this right up until the kids went back to school. I called two parents this morning. When I told them, one was crying on the phone. She said ‘my kids are going to eat less now.’”
Grow Tottenham was only ever supposed to be temporary; founded by the social enterprise Grow London, it was initially given use of the site for one year. As development plans were delayed, this was extended to four. Until July of this year, Grow and its users were told the site would likely be extended for another couple of years. In June, Homegrown even signed a tenancy agreement with the intention of using a larger part of the site. Soon after that, however, the eviction notice was served.
Emma Djilali helps to run Homegrown, and was facilitating a film workshop when HCP visited. She said: “After signing the agreement, we didn’t hear back [from Projekt] for about three weeks. When we finally heard back, the tenancy start date had passed and were being evicted.
“People can’t just leave moving out until the last week, so business owners have been pressed to start deconstructing this site in advance. That’s making the space gradually less usable for us.”
When HCP visited the summer school, a group of teenagers were watching Precious in a makeshift cinema. It was due to be taken down later that week, said Emma. The kitchen, where Rose prepared meals and taught cookery skills, was next on the list. The pair had expected Notting Hill Genesis to rehome them once Grow closed down, and the housing association did allude to a potential space in Enfield earlier this year. But Rose and Emma’s work is specific to Tottenham Hale. Besides, they had barely heard a peep out of Notting Hill Genesis or Projekt since Grow’s eviction notice was served, they told HCP.
Formerly a car mechanics depot, Grow Tottenham was established on land owned by Notting Hill Genesis in 2018. Grow transformed it into a community garden and event space, which also included studios, a community kitchen, cafe and carpentry workshop before deconstruction began. Alongside Homegrown, there were a host of businesses, community groups, artists and individuals that used the space. The short-notice eviction has had a profound impact on all of them.
Andy Lockwood runs an upcycling business, repairing discarded items and selling them at affordable prices. He rented a lot towards the back of the site, which was piled high with washing machines, fridges and bikes, ready to be fixed and resold.
He said: “Because of the short notice, I haven’t got time to sell them or to clean them or fix them. I’ve barely even got time to store them.”
“There’s no triviality about it. I’ve been going all the way to Wales. I was in Norwich yesterday, travelling around the country seeing who might have land to keep it all on.”
Andy was stuck between a rock and a hard place; pay up to £3,000 for a storage container, plus thousands more to lift it and rent new land, or discard years worth of accumulated objects. Meanwhile Crop Drop – a local fruit and vegetable delivery service – was forced to merge with the Hackney-based scheme Growing Communities due to the pressure of relocating.
Paul McGann, the founder of Grow Tottenham, said: “You’d hope with these big developments, they’d give you years notice. It’s not like these things move fast.
“Then it wouldn’t have been this traumatic experience, where everyone’s really struggling to find spaces and carry on delivering services and keep their projects going.
“Tottenham needs more community space, not less.”
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said: “All tenants were aware of the short-term nature of the tenancy. This was originally due to be for one year but we were pleased to be able to extend that to four years.
“We have been in regular contact with tenants regarding potential dates for vacating the site and provided notice as agreed. We have provided an alternative site for storage of Grow Tottenham’s shipping containers for the next year, free of charge, and their volunteers can also access the site to harvest crops this autumn, despite their notice expiring.
“We are working closely with Haringey Council to find an interim space for Homegrown and will keep in contact with them to ensure they are considered should a suitable space become available in the new development.”
Grow was in difficulty prior to the eviction. The social enterprise struggled during the lockdown, after which rent was hiked significantly, and Paul told HCP that they were facing bankruptcy due to a change in business rates.
As for Rose, she’s been here before: Homegrown was evicted from a community centre in Northumberland Park before relocating to Ashley Road. When HCP asked what would happen next, she became visibly distressed. Given the breadth of services Homegrown provides, and how rooted they are in Tottenham Hale, the team had no alternative venues in mind.
She said: “After Northumberland Park I had to move everything into my house. I was running the food bank from home.
“If I do that again, it’s going to put my kids into a mental breakdown. My son is not talking to me because he felt like he didn’t have a home at that time.”
The new development on Ashley Road will provide 353 residential homes, half of which Notting Hill Genesis says will be affordable. There are also plans for 3600sqm of non-residential space, comprising creative studios, a nursery, retail units and a café.
Paul is looking for alternative sites for Grow in Tottenham or, failing that, Haringey more widely. Regardless, if something doesn’t happen fast, Homegrown – alongside many other organisations – may be homeless for the foreseeable future.
This article first appeared in the Haringey Community Press.