Project to brighten up 'eyesore' Tottenham Hale alleyway

Residents are being invited to help get involved with a painting project this summer, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The vision for Carbuncle Passage in Tottenham Hale

Tottenham Hale residents are transforming an “eyesore” passage in a bid to make the area feel more “friendly, loved and owned”.

Carbuncle Passage, which has been plagued by antisocial behaviour (ASB) and fly-tipping, is set to be brightened up this Saturday (17th).

Volunteers from Friends of Hartington Park and Carbuncle Passage have set dates over the summer for the painting sessions and are encouraging residents to take part.

Carbuncle Passage is a wide walkway with rear access to rows of houses on either side.

On Saturday the group will begin painting residents’ back fences in multiple colours, and in the coming weeks install ‘vertical planters’ along the passage.

Chloe Chandler, co-chairperson of the group, hopes the colour will encourage residents to travel along the passage which she said was currently intimidating and a “bit of an eyesore”.

Speaking on the neglected space she said people hadn’t known “what to do with it” and ownership issues with the ground being separate to the fences, which are all individually owned, meant work kept “falling through the cracks”.

She believes the passage could be “amazing” and highlighted its potential as a safe route to walk or cycle, on account of it being car-free, to the nearby Tottenham Marshes.

Chloe said: “We’re taking the matter into our own hands and adding colour, painting the fences, to make the area feel a bit more friendly, loved, and owned.

“The intention is to have people use the space more and highlight to Haringey Council and other stakeholders this could be a really fantastic traffic-free route connecting people from Tottenham High Road to Tottenham Marshes.”

Last year the group repainted a mural at the end of the passage, just before the bridge to Tottenham Marshes, which had been graffitied over.

Veolia, a utilities company, donated £1,000 to the group for the planters while North London Waste Authority (NLWA) gave £1,500 for materials, tools and paint, which it purchased from Forest Recycling Project.

Members of NLWA and Veolia have also taken part in sessions before.

Chloe said the planters will be vertical in shape to avoid people sitting on them or dumping rubbish in them, a concern residents had raised.

She also highlighted the connections the project had forged between not just locals but between the residents along the passage.

Painting sessions will take place on Saturday, 17th May, from 10am to 4pm, as well as on Sunday, 22nd June and Saturday, 12th July.

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