Social & Community
Why it matters
Our ambition is to safeguard and improve the sense of belonging felt by those who live or work in Highgate by developing a strong community and contributing to a greater sense of social inclusion.
We believe that progress on this can be made by improving access to the homes, services and facilities people need to lead a full and comfortable life and through the development of a Highgate that encourages participation and integration.
What we’re doing
Highgate Festival
Held annually in June, local groups, organisations, schools, venues and churches come together for eight days of arts, culture and heritage to celebrate everything we love about Highgate.
Together with Highgate School, the HNF relaunch the Festival in 2017.
Coffee & Computers
Working with Highgate School and Channing in the future to create initiatives bringing students and other social groups together, following on from the successful Coffee and Computers project.
CIL Projects
- Holly Lodge Community Centre
- HIllcrest playground project
- bike track next to Highgate Library
- Parkland Walk
Community breakfast meetings
We attend the regular Community Breakfast Meetings organised by Katherine Ives at Lauderdale House, which is an opportunity for organisations and groups to share project information.
What the Plan says
Highgate's Housing Needs (Policy SC1)
The ability of a new development to deliver an appropriate mix of homes that meet any of the following needs will be treated as a benefit of significant weight:
I. Affordable housing that meets the Boroughs’ targets and is delivered on-site;
II. Optimise the use of land and buildings on individual sites to create communities that are inclusive to everyone and appropriately mixed in terms of demographics,household types and tenures;
III. Inclusion of smaller units to provide for a mix of house sizes and to allow older residents to downsize from family housing to smaller units and supported housing, as well as to provide affordable housing products aimed at first time buyers;
IV. Where appropriate – and where it is not at the expense of quality or space standards – innovative and creative ways of providing residential accommodation to those not eligible for social housing, but also unable to afford housing at market prices. These may include licensed HMOs, studio apartments, and opportunities for a different range of housing types, such as self-build or custom-build where there is a demonstrable need.
Community facilities (Policy SC2)
- Feasibility studies for hopper buses linking local communities
- Enhancing Pond Square
- Supporting Waterlow Park
- Highgate Bowl Project
- Community space at 271 terminus
- Trees on North Hill/Archway Road
- Facility for young people
- Dedicated safe cycleways
- Creating green pockets and corridors
- Crossings on Archway Road/Wellington etc
- Playgrounds at Hillcrest and Parkland Walk
- Safe cycling learning space
- Solar panel and wind turbine schemes
- Enabling guerrilla gardeningGreen walkways
- Support for Holly Lodge Community Centre
- Signage from stations to Cemetery, Village etc
- Make Highgate Station cycle/disabled/pedestrian friendly
- Grants for improved shopfronts
- Old Highgate overground station project
This CIL priority list may be subject to periodic review and updating over the life of the Plan.
Allotments and Communical Garden Land (Policy SC3)
II. The provision of communal outdoor open space for residents, potentially including areas for self-managed allotments or garden land in new developments of 10 or more units – or where there is educational provision – will be actively encouraged, wherever possible and viable. Where such open space provision is delivered it should be positively managed.
Non-statutory actions
CA2: Seek out opportunities for environmental improvements, such as projects encouraging renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon schemes.
CA3: Encourage all owners of premises or facilities that are accessed by the public to make them as friendly as possible for those with mobility issues and with children.
CA4: Where appropriate, establish venues for people to meet, for example a business/knowledge centre, as outlined in KS2: Former Highgate Railway Station.
CA5: Provide new playgrounds for under fives and a public all-weather pitch for sports.
CA6: Encourage community access to privately held sports facilities and add to the variety in existing public spaces.
CA7: Promote safety and the feeling of safety by, for example, actively supporting Neighbourhood Watch schemes.
CA8: Develop the Highgate online calendar, both as a community resource and as a way of attracting visitors.
CORE OBJECTIVE
“To help Highgate develop and maintain a strong and sustainable community which works to minimise social deprivation and exclusion.”
OTHER INITIATIVES
SOCIAL & COMMUNITY POSTS
October 2023 newsletter: Archway Road and Old Station groups
October news, events and campaigns New Archway Road Action Group A group of local people, including some from the Highgate Neighbourhood Forum, will be getting together in November to talk about Archway Road. Can we support one another to make Archway Road a greener...
Our replacement street trees are flourishing
We are pleased to report that our CIL-funded replacement street trees have at last been planted around Highgate. Our friends in the Cholmeleys have sent the following pics to show us how their trees are flourishing. Do send us more pics of the trees in your street.
Plans for play areas in Parkland Walk and Shepherd’s Hill
We have had an update from Haringey Parks Project Officer Jake Jones on our two CIL-fuinded play projects: Parkland Walk Play We are looking to install a play trail using natural materials which help people connect with Parkland Walk through play. This scheme has been...
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