THE CHAIR of a group in charge of the strategy in a Harringay high street has welcomed a “brilliant” £2m grant for redevelopment.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced yesterday that the cash would be given to Harringay Green Lanes Traders’ Association as they bid to renovate the ugly railway bridge, renovate shop fronts and create 14 mini-squares at junctions to encourage street vendors.

And Councillor Nilgun Canver, chair of Haringey Council’s Green Lanes Strategy Group, said she was “really delighted” with the news.

She added: “This is brilliant news. This is a testament to ten years of partnership working with the council, traders, community groups, residents, local councillors and the police.

“Together we have helped transform the image of Green Lanes and now we can transform the infrastructure too.

“With this help from the Outer London Fund I can’t wait to see a new, improved street scene for local people and visitors to the borough.”

The group plans to remove banners and install ambient lighting under the railway bridge and install an LED noticeboard with information about local news and events, in a bid to use it as a gateway to shops to the south.

Shop fronts will be replaced with a hard durable wood to encourage a traditional look, and junctions with Green Lanes will have benches and power points installed to act as focal points for street traders.

The Mayor’s Outer London Fund, which was set up last March to fund regeneration of the capital’s high streets, gave £1.7m to the project, with around another £400,000 coming from traders.