Making the most of village pubs!

Highgate Neighbourhood Forum Pub Club

Highgate has a fantastic selection of local pubs, each with its own distinctive character. Over the next year we'll be meeting in each one in turn, so please join us. Meet neighbours you didn't know you had, or chat to Forum reps and air any concerns. First on the list is the Duke's Head on Highgate High Street. We'll be there from 7.30pm on Wednesday 23rd March - hope to see you there.

HNF Clean Air Campaign Update
Our Clean Air Campaign has been a fantastic success and we've had pledges of over £950 - around £800 collected to date. We are astounded by the response, but it clearly shows just how much this issue resonates with everyone.

The first 50 diffusion tubes have been installed around N6 and are due to be collected on the weekend of 2nd April. They will then go to the lab for processing, and we should have the results within two weeks. We'll report back. We will be repeating the tests later in the year when the trees are in leaf and, potentially, the 271 bus stop will have moved.

We've used the opportunity to measure NO2 at the 271 terminus in Pond Square and also where the buses are due to terminate on North Road should the TfL proposals to move the 271 stand go ahead. We've also put a diffusion tube down Shepherd's Hill to see if those early morning tailbacks to the junction with Archway Road make a difference to the air quality. Local residents have suggested some practical, low cost measures to help with the tailbacks, so if we get the data to back this up we'll work at pressuring TfL into doing something about it.

The total cost of the Clean Air Campaign will be closer to £1,100 than £1,000, so if you meant to pledge cash before but didn't get round to it, now is the time. Each diffusion tube costs around £10, so please email info@forhighgate.org if you can help.

The Forum & Lobbying Local Government
Every HNF newsletter contains something about the Neighbourhood Plan which, if you're not fired up by planning policy, could leave you just a tad cold. However, the HNF doesn't just write the Neighbourhood Plan! There's so much more! This month, and in addition to the Clean Air Campaign...

...we have been asked to represent stakeholders in Camden on the recruitment panel for the Borough's Director of Regeneration and Planning.

...we were invited to attend a special DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government) scrutiny committee to talk about our experiences of the CiL (Community Infrastructure Levy) process, and represented Neighbourhood Forums across the country.

...we have responded in depth to TfL's consultation on the proposal to move the 271 bus stand. You can read our response here.

...we have lobbied Haringey about speeding traffic on Shepherds Hill, rough sleepers in Highgate and various planning issues.

...we have been successful in our application for funds from Haringey's ward budget to finance public meetings to broaden consultation in N6 and pay for AV equipment which can be shared out to other community groups in Highgate.

...and, of course, we have had several meetings with Haringey and Camden planners, working through the final draft of the Neighbourhood Plan.

Keep It Clean - Report Dumped Rubbish

We are very fortunate to live in a leafy and largely clean area, and the Boroughs are good at keeping our streets litter-free. However, there are a couple of black spots which are used as dumping grounds. Several are recurring problems - the bottom of Southwood Lane close to the junction with Archway Road: by the recycling bins at the junction of Highgate Hill and Dartmouth Park Road; on Merton Lane by the Ponds; and at various locations on Queenswood Road. You can report dog-fouling, littering and fly-tipping hotspots direct to Camden here, or to Haringey here.

Advance Notice of AGM
Our AGM will be held on 1st June at The United Reformed Church on Pond Square. News of our guest speakers to follow, but please hold the date. We will be looking for new committee members too. You don't need any experience - you just need to care about our community and where we live. For an informal chat about what's involved please email info@forhighgate.org with a phone number and a good time to call and and we'll call you straight back.

Kind regards,

Rachel Allison
Chair, Highgate Neighbourhood Forum

info@forhighgate.org
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