This scheduled meeting was an opportunity for Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Emily Arkell, to reassure users of the park and people who live nearby about the strong measures that have been put in place following vandalism and a number of anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents in the children’s playground last year.
It also represented a chance for even closer collaboration and dialogue between the council and local residents on any lingering concerns and issues that matter to us all, which is in accordance with the Haringey Deal.
Cllr Arkell was joined by officers from the council’s Parks team and the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Cllr Sarah Williams. Downhills Park is located within Cllr Williams’ West Green ward.
Cllr Arkell said:
It was a real pleasure for Cllr Williams and I to meet representatives of the local community in Downhills Park today and discuss with them the latest developments in the park as well as our future plans for it.
It was a positive meeting and I hope they came away reassured that we take these incidents very seriously and are continuing to do everything in our power to prevent any prospective recurrence going forward. The public health, safety and welfare of our park users remains very important to us.
We are supporting the police with their ongoing investigation into this matter after a man was arrested and released on bail in connection with these incidents earlier this month, pending further inquiries.
Our parks and green, open spaces are a real source of pride to us at Haringey and our Parks team work tirelessly to maintain them to the highest standards. I will continue to meet with local residents and the Friends group to ensure we deal with any concerns moving forward.
