Connecting Wood Green
- Improving Wood Green
- Places, spaces, streets
- Good Growth Fund 1: Connecting Wood Green
- Clarendon Yards
- Library Hub project
- Penstock Tunnel improvements
Improving Wood Green
Haringey Council was awarded a £900,000 grant from the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund for a set of projects called Connecting Wood Green.
Connecting Wood Green covers three areas: a meanwhile project at Olympia Trading Estate, The Library Hub Project (former Post Office unit), and general public realm improvements including public art commissions. The projects will boost locals’ skills and job opportunities, as we team up with partners to provide training for our residents.
The projects will help draw people from the High Road and Station Road to the area around the current Chocolate Factory and Coburg Road, transforming it into a thriving, bustling part of Haringey. The plans will nurture existing and new businesses and communities and create new and improved space for businesses and social enterprises.
Connecting Wood Green is a scheme to boost the area as it awaits wider transformation. The plans encourage engagement and participation, creating opportunities for residents to really get involved in the area’s future.
Places, spaces, streets
More than 200 members of the community shared their views at the Wood Green’s places, spaces, streets drop-in events that took place between 22-25 January 2020.
Attendees were able to find out more about the Wood Green Design Manual and discuss potential projects to improve places, spaces and streets around Wood Green and Turnpike Lane. These included Turnpike Lane Improvements, Mayes Road, Penstock Tunnel, Parklets, Roj Café, Library forecourt and Russell Park kiosk.
All the information presented at the events can be downloaded below:
- Background to the project - what has happened to date (PDF,1.5MB)
- The Wood Green and Turnpike Lane Design Manual (PDF, 80KB)
- Project list (PDF, 561KB)
- Community wealth building (PDF, 4.9MB)
- The public realm of young people (PDF, 4.5MB)
- Making connections (PDF, 4.6MB)
- Tackling climate change (PDF, 4.4MB)
- Feedback (PDF, 76KB)
Good Growth Fund 1: Connecting Wood Green
Project Updates
Creating better connections throughout Wood Green is one of the key objectives set out within the Wood Green Regeneration Framework, approved by Cabinet in January 2018. The framework also sets out how we aim to invest in new and improved streets and spaces which are accessible, welcoming, playful and active, with places to dwell and are designed for all of the community and invest in key East/West and North/South pedestrian and cycle routes.
As part of the Good Growth Funding received for Connecting Wood Green, some of the key links were, and are still, being addressed such as Penstock Tunnel and the Library Alleyway.
Mayes Corner: Pocket Park
Mayes Corner Pocket Park is a project that has been co-developed by local resident group Parkside Malvern Resident Association (PMRA) and Haringey Council’s Regeneration and Highways teams.
When complete, the park will be a community space with widened footways which uses the material palette from the Wood Green and Turnpike Lane Design Manual, incorporates Sustainable Urban Drainage, increased planting and provides improved growing conditions for three trees.
The park also includes many playful elements, with a stepping-stone path, statues of penguins, geese and a dog, a sundial, murals and a history/interpretation board.
The first phase of the project has recently been completed and funding has been secured to progress works to phase 2 of the design.
Tree planting
41 new trees have been planted throughout Wood Green using funding from the Good Growth Fund 1.
Trees have been planted on:
- Alexandra Road
- Burghley Road
- Lyttleton Road
- Malvern Road
- Park Ridings
- The Avenue
- Vernon Road
- Bradley Road
- Bury Road
- Lymington Avenue
- Russell Avenue
Accessibility in Wood Green
From September to December 2018 the Regeneration Team commissioned a multi-sensory tour of Wood Green. The purpose of the tour was to understand how Wood Green can become a better place for people with a range of disabilities to live, work and visit. The report highlighted entrances to shops, issues with tactile crossing points, decluttering street furniture and level pavements as difficulties experienced within the public realm.
As part of the Connecting Wood Green programme, funding was allocated to access improvements to respond to some of these difficulties. These were undertaken in May 2020 on the east/west route from the High Road towards Penstock Tunnel and this included improved tactile crossing points, removing unnecessary street furniture and creating level footways.
Library Alleyway
In partnership with Wood Green Mall and Future Wood Green BID, the fencing that forms part of the Malls service yard opposite Wood Green Library running along the alleyway between the High Road to Caxton Road is to be replaced with new decorative fencing. The fencing will add a playful element to the alley but also serve to allow more natural light and ambient light into the alley at night time.
As part of the improvements to the alley there will also be a piece of artwork from local production designer Boadicea Shoals.
‘Clarendon Yards’ - meanwhile project at Olympia Trading Estate
Clarendon Yards is a meanwhile - short-term - project.
With St Williams new Heartlands scheme creating 1,700 new homes on the Heartlands site, Clarendon Yards already has the needs of future residents in mind. Crossfit provides the local gym, the brewery taproom provides the community space, and in a few months’ time, the new Honeycomb Nursery will open to meet educational needs.
Goodness Brewery (external link) is owned by Zack and Mike. Through the Clarendon Yards project, the local brewers were able to realise their ambitions, and now you can find their locally brewed beer stocked all across north London. As a brand-new business, they employ six local people and are looking to expand their operations and grow their Haringey based staff.
What’s really different about this brewery, is that it is focussed on the ‘good’ - the brewery has a purpose-built tap room and event space, where local groups are invited to think about ways to share music, art and learning. So far, they’ve exhibited architectural work from students at Anglia Ruskin focussed on the nearby Chocolate Factory, as well as a fine arts exhibition showcasing work of local female artists.
Goodwin and Goodwin (external link) are London’s largest sign making company, and a stalwart of their industry. They’ve produced signs for everyone from Google, MTV, Spotify and Nike, and they recently produced the large Arsenal sign for Arsenal’s armoury shop.
Based originally in the Chocolate Factory, which is set to undergo development, the Clarendon Yards project has safeguarded this stalwart business, who were at risk of having to leave the area.
Collage Arts (external link) are a huge part of the creative fabric of Wood Green, housing hundreds of artists and creative practitioners in their workspaces across N22. Artspace 5 in Clarendon Yards has 22 studios.
Library Hub Project (the Post Office)
Studio 306 Collective CIC - a creative collective aims to empower disadvantaged locals recovering from mental illness by giving them the space and guidance to make high quality ceramics, jewellery, fabric crafts and screen printed products which can then be sold, are based in the former Post Office unit. Pamela Anomneze is the driving force behind Studio 306.
Penstock Tunnel improvements
The Penstock Tunnel project is part of the Connecting Wood Green programme to deliver public realm and lighting improvements along the New River Path, between the Cultural Quarter in Wood Green and Alexandra Park in Hornsey.
Find out more about the project on the dedicated Penstock Tunnel improvements webpage.