Stop Wards Corner looking 'like everywhere else' says campaigner (From Haringey Independent)

Stop Wards Corner looking 'like everywhere else' says campaigner

5:30pm Wednesday 11th April 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

Wards Corner will look “just like everywhere else” if controversial development plans are waived through, says a campaigner.

Candy Amsden, 62, who is a member of the Clyde Area Residents Association, is fighting the plans from developers Grainger Seven Sisters Ltd in a bid to cling on to the character of the south Tottenham site.

Mrs Amsden, who is a part-time artist, admits that Wards Corner, which is above Seven Sisters Tube station, is in need of regeneration, but does not buy into the argument that the development plans will benefit the area.

Mrs Amsden, who lives in Philip Lane, just north of the site, is concerned the development, if accepted, will lead to the homogenisation of south Tottenham and damage the area’s character beyond repair.

She said: “If the building work goes ahead, it will be bland and we will have no sense of a town centre. It will look just like everywhere else.

“Wards Corner needs doing up - we don’t want it left as it is because it is being neglected, but we want it restored in an affordable way that keeps the people there.”

The plans, which have sparked opposition from hundreds of locals, include building a string of family homes on Suffield Road, as well as a parade of ground floor shops which would cover all three sides of Wards Corner.

However, an entire row of Victorian and Edwardian buildings would be demolished to make room for the new homes and shops if the developers start to build.

The artist agrees Suffield Road is in dire need of major upgrading work, however she is a strong critic of the plans put forward by the developers.

She said: “At the moment it is a terrible eyesore, it is just horrendous and is like going back to the Victorian age.”

Out of 60 people in the Clyde Area Residents Association, Mrs Amsden said the vast majority are strongly against the developers’ plans.

She also said it is important to fight for staff at the Latin American market, which is currently in business in Wards Corner.

She said many of the stallholders do not speak English so they are struggling to know where to turn.

She said: “We are all fighting the same corner. Many of the workers do not speak English so they are feeling very vulnerable.”

At this stage, it is believed the market will remain at Wards Corner, however Mrs Amsden believes it will lose it character and many of the stallholders will be forced out due to rent increases.

Apartments in blocks of ten could also be built above the shops, as well as a new cafe, bar and restaurant installed on both the first and ground floor at the centre of the side of Wards Corner which faces High Road.

In total, the developers would like to build 197 new homes on the site. According to Grainger, there will be a “wide range” of houses built on Wards Corner, from studio flats to large family homes.

The houses will also be arranged around a large shared roof garden which is supposed to provide a “tranquil” and “safe” place for people to use.

Approximately 3,700sqft of commercial space is proposed, which will be shared by both local and chain retailers.

Haringey Council refused to grant planning permission to the developers in July last year, but Grainger have appealed the decision by contacting the national Planning Inspectorate.

The executive agency is responsible for examining development plans and deciding the final outcome of planning appeals.

There is one week left to speak out about the proposals in an online form on the Planning Inspectorate website.