During the last few weeks, David Lammy has met separately with the Ward’s Corner Community Coalition and Grainger Ltd about their plans to redevelop the Ward’s Corner site.
After these meetings and the human chain on Saturday, David said:
“For the past decade, the Ward’s Corner site has been a blight on the landscape of Seven Sisters. What should have been the gateway to Tottenham has been ignored, and has become a great wasted opportunity to create something wonderful for local people.
“I have long been calling for meaningful regeneration in the area and had hoped that we were finally getting to place where this could start, delivering the jobs, businesses, shops, homes and community facilities for local people we all want to see.
“However, during the course of recent weeks it has become clear to me that the current plans about to go before the planning committee do not have a breadth of community support necessary to go forward.
“Whether this lack of support is due the poor of quality consultation or deficient dialogue between the parties concerned, I will leave open – I do not think it useful at this stage to enter into finger pointing. But we are now at a stage where the disquiet from a large group of local businesses including the Latin American Market and residents is so great that we should pause and take stock.
“Both groups have a vision for regenerating Ward’s Corner, and over the past year months I have received information from both sides and taken part in a dialogue on their proposals.
“During discussions with Grainger I pushed for a better mix of shops, quality design and a true community use – since these discussions their plans have substantially improved. They now include a multi-use community youth facility, higher quality design and better developed public art elements.
“Yet, in my discussions on Friday with the Community Coalition it was clear to me that they were still a long way from agreeing a way forward. The passion with which the Coalition argued their case was infectious – pushing the heritage, trader and community case particularly forcefully - and it is clear they are running an excellent campaign.
“I still want to see meaningful regeneration, but not at the expense of community cohesion and damage to local businesses. I am still uncertain that the Community Plan stacks up financially and delivers the necessary improvements to the area we need.
“However, I have said that I am happy to work with the Coalition on questions of funding and advice – but also made it clear we cannot wait forever to see action on this site.
“The Coalition also asked me about mediation, and I said I was happy to call for dialogue and outside mediation if necessary on the two plans. All parties must now work together to achieve a viable and popular scheme, that stacks up financially and delivers for the people of Tottenham.
“So I call on all sides to work together to delivery meaningful regeneration on this site, while taking with them the broadest support possible from the community. No one should be left out of these discussions, but we must not, however, lose this opportunity to deliver for Tottenham a project of which we can all be proud.
“Haringey Council urgently needs to consider the call for mediation to explore whether it is possible to bridge the gap between the plans and vision for the site.
“My worry is that we will reach a stalemate, putting at risk any future plans for the site – continuing the uncertainty for local business and residents. We cannot allow this opportunity for regeneration to be lost for another generation.
