New Park for the Area - Crouch Hill Park

sincers

Yes, people want to accept it and will try an improve its behaviour, but its in it's genes. It will eventually cross the line, bite someone and then get put down by the authoitays.

Arkady

@Papa L: the new KX ramps can (just) be seen here: <http://www.kingscrosscentral.com/the_site>; It’s the squiggly bit between sites Q2 and R4. The details are in the plans for R4, which can be found on the Camden Planning site. Or I could email them to you.

Papa

Cheers Arkady, I'll hunt them out.

Misscara, I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments


The unused broken tarmac patch next to the skatepark is madness. If the council just concreted it, or even tarmaced it to decent road quality it could be used.

It's a classic case of the council doing something really good, ie building the park, and then failing to capitalise on it.

The skate park is small and very tight, especially because of the railings, but much loved and used. People using it manage to rub along pretty well and it's one of the few places kids, teenagers and adults of all backgrounds mix.

I fall into neither the kids or blokes in their 40s category (although sadly a bit nearer the latter), but I'd say the old blokes are probably more intimidated than the kids than the other way round!

ShaunG

@Papa L - I think their plan was to put the basketball there after the 5 a side centre was built at the top of the hill (something I was in favour of but let's not start that again). They may still think they'll go with that plan at some point so that may blight the concrete patch for the moment.

David Barry

Tonights meeting went well.

(Apart from a faux pas by me which I would rather not discuss)

The skate board ramp is staying

dorothy

Oh go on David, you know you want to!

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Papa

@Shaun G - I remember that from another discussion about it.

Considering it's been sat there falling apart for some time, the basketball courts probably won't be moving anytime soon and the council has access to cut price concreting/tarmacing, they might as well at least resurface it smoothly and make it useable.

Thanks for that info David.

Was looking around the Crouch Hill site up the hill next to the Parkland Walk the other day and considering that its really wasted space at the moment in an area where space and good schooling is at a premium, these plans sound sensible.

David Barry

I mentioned the faux pas only to pre empt a report from some else at SG.ORG.

You had to be there really.......

Ali

Did Coleridge School not just double in size just around the corner in the old TUC/Hornsey Art college building ? Pity it is not a High School because there is as a real shortage of decent one of them around here

David Barry

Coleridge doubled the size of its intake several years ago; the school went from two form entry - 60 children a year in reception to four form entry - 120 children a year in reception. Even at that size its over subscribed.

Ashmount is a two form entry school (and on the Crouch Hill site cannot be any bigger) and is also over subscribed.

So basically the supply of primary school places in the area has gone up 50 per cent in the last few years due to the increase in Coleridge, and there still seem to be not enough. Presumably there must be a knock on to secondary places in due course.

Arkady

Remember this?  Open day on saturday.<br><br>http://www.islington.gov.uk/childrens-and-families/education-and-childcare/5-16/SchoolsforFuture/crouch_hill/

David Barry

The project Board has just reviewed the admissions arrangements for Ashmount. The background to this is that admissions for this autumn 2012 are based on distance measured from the current site on Hornsey Lane. Offer letters go out from the council soon after 15 April. Admissions for next year (2013) will be based  on the same criteria as before, but distance will be measured from the new site. So the school will be closer to Stroud Green in all senses.

tomp

HI David,<div><br></div><div>Is the school (new site) in Islington or Haringey? Its right on the boundary</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

poxy

It's in Islington.

David Barry

Yes, Poxy is right. Ashmount Primary School is an Islington School and the new site is in Islington.<div><br></div><div>It is actually a bit further from the boundary then the current site which is about ten meters from Haringey (!)<br><div><br></div><div>Why do you ask?</div></div>

David Barry

Three extra bits of news about this:-<div><br></div><div>1. if you look up "Parkland Walk" on wikipedia you will find an improved entry about this</div><div><br></div><div>2. Islington Council have applied to have the small piece of lad on the walk, just beside the Cape building, currently used as an adventure play ground formally  designated under a  national scheme to mark  the jubilee as an adventure playground. This would mean an even higher level of protection for it than at present, although it is so highly protected already that is perhaps an academic point, but it could then be eligible for grant money.</div><div><br></div><div>3. The first bit of the new build to be ready will be the new nursery and there will be, in due course, a big media opening event for Bowler's Nursery. Exact date etc yet to be determined.</div>

miss annie

Any news about the totem poles?

David Barry

What news about the totem poles were you looking for?

miss annie

I would like to know if they are being restored to thier glorious position. I always found it rather cheering to see them looming over the top of the hill.

David Barry

I simply do not know whether that is planned, or even where they are now. So I will ask.

Papa

Any chance of a bit of funding from the scheme being found to fix up the aforementioned skateboard ramp, the surface has been trashed where some scumbag set fire to a motor scooter on it.<br><br>Just needs reskinning, would cost a drop in the ocean of council budgets and provides a facility for local kids (and adults)<br><br>It's in an ideal location for the kids from the new school to use - they could even <a href="http://actionsportsinschools.wordpress.com/about-action-sports-in-schools/">learn to skate as part of PE</a>.<br>

David Barry

I am afraid I have bad news about the skateboard ramp; reinstating it would cost 20000 pounds (I know I was surprised) but strictly speaking it would not be a replacement but an improved, ruggidised version that could not be so easily destroyed by fire. It seems that simply repairing it, which would still be quite expensive, might be seen by the people who destroyed it in the first place, as a challenge. Anyway there is no money to restore it at present. Perhaps some kind of grant or fund raising exercise will happen.

David Barry

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); ">I was able to visit just part of the site on Thursday morning  -the new school building - together with some governors from Ashmount.<br style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><br style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">It is fair to say we were all impressed with what we could see. The last time I visited one needed some imagination to see how things would turn out, but rather less imagination is needed now. The building has a very light, open feel, The windows look rather larger from the inside than they appear from the outside and there are a number of good internal vistas. The wood cladding (not yet finished) adds a lot. There are a number of interesting internal spaces and I am intrigued to see what the children will make of them, and how, in the event, they will use them.</span>

Duncan

I agree, the school does seem to be coming along rather nicely.  Don't see much sign of the adventure playground yet, though?

miss annie

<p>Was the other skatepark destroyed by fire?</p><p>Any news on the totem poles?</p>

Papa

David, thanks for that. Sadly, the council are misinformed on cost - they could replace it with something similar  for a lot less than that (a metal ramp that would be inferior to skate, but can't be burnt down, for example),<br><br>What a shame, the decision is made to let the vandals win - that's a terrible message to send out:<br><br>Sorry kids (and adults), you can't have a replacement for the only skateboard ramp in the entire borough of Islington or have it fixed.<br><br> And people wonder why kids hang around on corners and don't do exercise.<br><br>(Miss Annie, some scumbags stole a motor scooter and burnt it out in the middle of the ramp. The ramp was old and wasn't great, but it was Islington's only skateboard facility, which is a pretty shocking state of affairs when you consider what other councils have done.)<br><br>

David Barry

if you can provide information about getting a cheaper, but fireproof. skate ramp, do post it here and I will take it back.

David Barry

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; "><font size="3" style="font-size: 12pt; "><b>Saturday 17th November 12-<font size="3" style="font-size: 12pt; "> 4</font> </b></font>when Ashmount says Goodbye. It's shaping up to be an afternoon to remember as we look forward to welcoming staff, pupils, parents, friends past and present to share memories and celebrate 55 years of Ashmount School at Ashmount Road. We've got entertainment from our music teachers' Jazz Band, the fabulous Mr Marvel and from 2.30 'The Sounds of Ashmount' as our children take centre stage and perform for us from Nursery to Year 6 with a fabulous finale that will leave us all teary eyed! So make sure that you have the date in your diary - flyers and posters will be sent out soon, but in the meantime if you know anyone who has been associated with Ashmount then make sure they know to come along.<br></span>

miss annie

Totem poles?