We had a great meeting at 100 Tower Gardens Road on Sunday 1st of March. Twenty five local residents, and a few kids, got together for updates, and our ward councillors also joined (Cllr Carroll) and sent apologies (Cllr Stennett).
We said we would share the slides, so they’re now available as a PDF file for download.
19 residents got together with our local councillors to discuss the future of 100 Tower Gardens Road.
We met in the old nursery space inside 100 Tower Gardens Road. It was a cold December evening but luckily the building’s heating system is fully functional.
The group discussed fundraising ideas to cover the immediate costs of:
building valuation: to agree on a fair price with the council
condition survey: to understand the costs of restoring the building
expert help writing a business proposal
People volunteered to help with social media, baking, accounting, business plans, the website, leafleting and much more.
Tower Gardens Community Corner held a community celebration on the Tower Gardens Estate in and around 100 Tower Gardens Road, a currently unused council building that used to be the estate office.
The organising teamIdeas for the buildingVisitors name badges
We had a mini exhibition showcasing the estate’s long history with materials from the London Archives, Bruce Castle Museum and Archives, and others. The community vision for a future community space was also displayed, sparking lots of engagement.
We were delighted that a new and wider group of volunteers got involved in organising the event, and the incredible turnout of more than two hundred and fifty residents.
The celebration has generated momentum for our long-term goal of taking over 100 Tower Gardens as a permanent community space. Our planning for the next event is already underway!
Several residents inspected the building at 100 Tower Gardens Road on Friday 13 December. It was in a better state than we were expecting; the ground floor in particular has a large room looking onto the (slightly unloved) garden which would be a great space for small gatherings.
Haringey haven’t decided what they’ll use the property for. They are considering turning it into temporary accommodation and/or hostel accommodation for people who are homeless, however they may conclude the building isn’t suitable for housing people. Haringey are in the process of arranging a feasibility study.
They would be open in principle to the building being used as a community centre if it can’t be used for accommodation. Haringey would like to see a business case for the community centre and would be happy to look at a business case while the feasibility study is ongoing. A group of residents are going to think about putting a business plan together.
Interested in the future of the building at 100 Tower Gardens Road?