I think first of the list would have to be a moratorium on any more fast food outlets or betting shops. Sadly, I don't think the local councils are easily able to decline planning consent for these.

I'd modestly start with wheely bins so that every Monday my street isn't strewn with litter. Last week it just stayed there all week, rubbish from the recycling boxes blowing down the street.

I would be very much in favour of grassing over the access road opposite Tescos and the other one.

I would ask all the freeholders for information on their requirements on painting/signage to ensure that the shops were sticking to their leashold rules. I'd get rid of all temporary signs.

Tollington Park is fast becoming a model for how it should be done.

I think that the front portion of the shops on SGR started out that way - if you look on some of them there is decorative plaster work at the boundaries between properties.

Tollington Park is as it is because it's a conservation area, so there are constraints on what the shopkeepers can do to their frontages. Some have still fallen through the net or were like that before the area was designated.

I suspect most of the rest of the shop-keepers on SGR couldn't give a toss about conservation or heritage unless planning constraints force them to, and even then, probably only with enforcement action from the council (my garden backs onto the rear of several commercial premises on SGR, and it looks as if several property owners have got away with breaches of planning law in the past).

One very quick improvement would be to replace street trees in the few places where the previous tree has died (or been killed). There are a couple of empty tree-pits towards the Worlds End.

On the Haringey side the current recycling boxes are going to be replaced by recycling wheelie bins so that should help on some of the mess side of things.

I also believe that it is a conservation area on the Haringey side; it certainly is in the side streets.

I think the council does try to enforce the conservation area through planning applications. I think that if you think something dodgy is going on have a look at the council planning web site to check the planning application. If not is not there or the conditions are being broken make a complaint.

I have done that successfully several times with Haringey.

The Haringey site is http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/housing_and_planning/planning-mainpage.htm This does cover regeneration as well.

If put your post code into <http://www.planningservices.haringey.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet > you will probably be surprised at the number of applications that you didn’t know about near to you.

It is not about stopping change but getting it done sympathetically and not at the cheapest cost etc

OK, I’m regarding the creation of a new thread and pleasing hollers of support as a call to arms. Give me a couple of days to come up with a brief plan of action and a draft charter that we can debate. I’m going to suggest that we speak to Hornsey Historical Society and ask them to do another presentation on the history of Stroud Green – perhaps in a large and appropriately antique location such as the Stapleton. This could be followed by an inaugural meeting and vote on any draft that we come up with here. We will need to decide how formal we want this to be. Perhaps something like Friends of Regents Canal, where they have four meetings a year and elect a chair for the year, but no formal constitution? I’m happy to throw a lot of time at helping to set this up, but I may have to self-disqualify myself from a long-term role as I may have to move out of the immediate area at the end of the year (maybe only as far as Drayton Park).

Another key decision would be whether we cover all of SG or just SGR. Just shops, or houses too? Thoughts?

Any other key decisions before I draft anything?

Some comments in response to some of the above:

The Stroud Green conservation areas are somewhat partial, and exclude large parts of SGR south of Tollington Park:

Islington: http://www.islington.gov.uk/DownloadableDocuments/Environment/Pdf/conservation_2010/conservation_area_design_guidelines/ca_39_stroud_green_map.pdf

Harringay: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/stroud_green_conservation_area_map.pdf

Also, they don’t apply to crap alterations made before they came into force. Any group we set up could be used to facilitate co-ordination between the conservation and planning officers on both sides of the boundary, as well as to apply pressure to enforce the rules.

In response to Chang’s question: at the last history talk that I went to (as did ADGS) we were told that the villas on Stroud Green that you mention did not originally have shop fronts, and that these were added later. I do wonder about that though, as (as Marko points out) the shop-fronts are very regular and mostly have regular plasterwork dividing them. Worth investigating.

Ali and Ian make good points.

Exciting. I don't have the time or the skills to lead this, but I'd love to help out.

Like @Mirandola, I don't have much spare time but would like to help out - I could build a website to help pool everything and have a central forum etc. (Not a fan of Ning sites).

I agree about forum, and I did think about that at the time - perhaps we could have a subdivision on here to keep it partly housed here?

I think a pub meetup to discuss all our plans to date may well be in order!

edit - started a new thread re. park

Arkady mentioned the Hornsey Historical Society (HHS) ... folks here might like to know that they just recently published a brand new (paperback) book on the history of Stroud Green, Stroud Green: A History and Five Walks availble from the HHS shop in the Old School House on Tottenham Lane, or from Amazon (£7.50, and free delivery).

# Paperback: 96 pages
# Publisher: Hornsey Historical Society (1 Aug 2011)
# ISBN-10: 0905794435
# ISBN-13: 978-0905794433

This has already been done and we elected and toasted a new mayor at the Stapleton Tavern a few months ago, however a quarterly meeting at the pub is surely overdue. Mr Beadle (Tom)?

Could we look into smart bike parking too? Something like the PlantLock.

On that note I think there should be more bike racks at the station. Sometimes I cycle down if I've got a long journey and no time. There's normally no space to lock my bike up and all the lamp posts are taken.

Would be good to get Boris Bikes.

Dont think it would ever happen though - don't think the model would work for a big commuter station like FP.

All the bikes would disappear by 7am and there never be enough docking stations to accomodate the bikes in the evening commute home!

It costs around £1.50, and it's extra minutes faffing about.

Agree Dorothy! When I saw you the other day I had spent 10 mins looking for a rack/lamppost and was going to be late for an appointment so had to take my bike with me on the train. I couldn't use the bike park as I'm not a member (I don't want to pay to park it - kind of defeats the object of having a bike). I've noticed the bike park only gets about 25% full at any time.

On a plus note, I actually saved time at the other end by not having to walk. Decided to cycle back and discovered the Pymmes Brook Trail which was very enjoyable.

Maybe we could design some bike racks for Stroud Green? Here are some good examples...

http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/bike_racks/index.php#images

Wig & pizza shaped?

I've used plant lock in a lot of pub gardens. They're a bit awkward if someone else is already using them and take up a lot of space. They are a good idea though. I just think it would be better if the bit you lock on to came up from rather than out of the side of the planter. Difficult to explain what I mean.

Terrible news. The currently charting Ed Sheeran used to live above there and play at the open-mic most weeks. This recent publicity shot of him may be one of the last pictures of the old sign:

http://londonist.com/2011/09/listen-up-interview-ed-sheeran.php

Really? Then it seems I have been told (and retelling) a somewhat dubious account of the place's history. Ooops.

I know someone who will design the bike racks, maybe some other stuff too if plied with enough beer and chocolate.

OK, here's the proposed mission statement. Everything including the name is up for debate. Anything obviously need amending, removing or adding?

THE STROUD GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY

1) The Stroud Green Preservation Society (hereafter SGPS) holds the following to be true:

a) That Stroud Green (hereafter SG) is an attractive north London suburb characterised by varied Victorian architecture.

b) That SG would benefit from an organisation dedicated to the preservation, restoration and beautification of its urban environment.

2) SGPS Policies:

a) That the Haringey and Islington Stroud Green Conservation Areas, and that of Tollington Park, should be better co-ordinated and enforced. They should also be expanded to encompass those Victorian buildings on Stroud Green Road and neighbouring streets not currently covered by those conservation areas.

b) That funding and volunteers should be sought, and landlords and councillors engaged, for the purpose of preserving, repairing and restoring SG's Victorian and Georgian architecture. Projects to include: i) repair and repainting of plaster moldings and other traditional features ii) restoration of traditional shop-front uniformity

c) That SG's streetscape should be improved, for instance by: i) removing unnecessary street clutter, while seeking new sites for cycle racks ii) ensuring that appropriate and attractive streetlamps and other necessary features are selected by councils iii) re-planting suitable London planes in unused tree-pits, and seeking other appropriate sites for planting.

d) That proposals should be developed and implemented for a public square on Stroud Green Road to replace the current utility road (Charter Court) and plantings currently bounded by Stroud Green Road, Osborne Road, Upper Tollington Park Road and the neighbouring post-war building.

e) That low-quality or inappropriate new developments should be resisted in those areas where Victorian buildings are predominant.

f) That current low quality, underdeveloped post-war structures should be advocated as candidates for redevelopment.

Too much? Too little? Pointless ramblings? All of the above? I'm going to bed.

Arky

@Arkady,

Very many thanks for all of this. My worry is that we talk about resisting 'bad' development, but don't say anything about encouraging 'good' building. In an area with brownfield sites and a housing shortage, that could be problematic.

I hate using quotation marks when not quoting, but couldn't think of a better way of signalling that people don't agree on what counts as good and bad - my favorite London building is the Brunswick centre, but others would demolish it.

This is all excellent. Count me in.

Cheers. Though perhaps working in concrete is something we should be opposed to! :-)

I agree that we should discuss whether to refine or remove e)-f). I am very much pro-development and have strong views on what sort of development is appropriate in different places, but I’m aware that unless carefully handled they might become divisive points.

Still waiting to hear from HHS. If anybody happens to make it to the talk at SG Library on Saturday perhaps they could raise the prospect then, and take some contact details.

This is interesting: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/apr/20/communities.guardiansocietysupplement