Northcote Road Carnival Cancelled Post Reply

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

Livegreen: "all my comments prove I am self-centred" - even the one about helping the cleanup effort after the riots? I will have to make sure I don't do such self-centred things again. Sorry.

As for the constant accusation of being a nimby...let's have it on your street for 11 hours on a Sunday in the summer then, shall we? If that proves to be successful, then great. All of us will be appeased.

[Lionheart]

As a fellow Northcote Road resident, I do understand Scrooge’s frustration (although I don't think your vehemence is earning you any friends!). We knew when we moved in that it would be noisy – we have single glazing and you can hear everything, including drunken conversations on the street on a Friday and Saturday night! When music blares (like it did the other night with the Christmas lights), it actually feels like it’s playing in your own house. You do feel invaded. The thing is, we moved in knowing it was going to be noisy. We have had to accept the occasional disturbance as part and parcel of a flat on Northcote Road...although my husband still moans when it’s particularly noisy! We remind ourselves that while we lose out on peace and quiet, we do get to save money and live in this glorious area (the rent is so much more expensive on the quieter residential roads). I did feel a bit irritated the other night with the loud Christmas music, as I was worried it wouldn’t be turned off in time for my toddler’s bedtime, but then swallowed my anger because it’s one night out of many, and it’s a nice thing for the area. I won’t go into the fact it was a bit of a let-down this year!

That said, if I had moved to Northcote Road some time ago, before the carnival became a regular thing, then yes, I would be annoyed to be suddenly invaded by music and fairground rides without having been consulted. I do wonder why they don’t use Wandsworth Common for the carnival? It’s just a few minutes from Northcote Road. When we moved here, I thought there would be lots more going on there. It’s a real shame as it’s a great space.

P.S. Regarding Crumpet, I like the place and I’m sorry it’s going. I agree that sometimes it hasn’t been particularly clean. The toys seem to have had a clean recently, which is nice, but the food mess can still be a problem. The Bees Knees at Battersea Arts Centre is the same. I agree more cleaning should take place, but I also don’t think much of the parents who allow the food mess to be made in the first place. I try to make an effort to clean up the worst of my toddler’s mess before I go. I really don’t understand people who think it’s okay to leave a load of food on the floor where there are babies crawling about. Sorry, have just taken this thread way off topic!

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

Thanks for your views and recent, relevant experience, Lionheart. Perhaps I am not completely isolated on some of the issues I raised regarding my views after all. We already tolerate quite a lot though - here are a few of my observations, what are yours?

1. super-bright estate agents lights which for some odd reason remain on all night (what a waste of electricity & who wants to see property ads. at 2AM in any case? why not put them all on a timer from between say midnight - 6AM and donate the cash savings to a local charity? never understood why these businesses do this and not at least dim them significantly at the hours mentioned above). many ppl used to moan about the City offices in Canary Wharf leaving their lights on all night but at least some ppl were in those offices at those hours - no-one is working in an estate agent or shop at that time though, clearly so why the need for it? this additional light pollution, coupled with xmas lighting which is up now and street lighting makes living on the road in December akin to living within the Arctic circle in June! lol

2. aggressive increase in anti-social behaviour (a sharp increase in late-night noise over recent years, more and more ppl urinating behind neighbours hedges, retaining walls, in side-returns etc., ppl puking on your door step, dogs crapping there too, massive amounts of smoking related litter outside of The Bank or The All Bar One - where has the community spirit gone on these collecive issues to our nice & cosy neighbourhood?!) - have you ever seen a Community Cop or, heaven forbid, a real cop patrolling the busy road at 11PM on a thurs-sat night? always seems that they are out and about at 11AM on a bright, warm sunny day when the shops and banks are open odd that! i have noticed that even the police horse patrols appear to have stopped too along the road - anyone know what has happened there?

3. business alarms going off at all hours and taking more than 45 mins each time to remedy due to a failure of some local business owners to update keyholder lists with the Council - why doesn't the Council send out update forms every 6 months, or so, to businesses asking for this info?

4. delivery lorries 'temporarily' parking in multiple, residential parking bays along the road and traffic wardens, by and large, ignoring this issue (yes, ignore it, believe it or not - odd eh?!)

5. businesses who put out their commercial litter each evening in badly tied or inappropriate waste bags meaning that the wind blows them all over the street and all those small, white, polystyrene foam pieces are blown around for the next day or so

These are all issues which residents of the road itself have to tolerate every day & night (when does Richard Branson's SpaceFlight company allow me to move to the moon again please?!)

[foureyes]

I am in the minority here, but I completely support Scrooge's comments - I live off Northcote and was annoyed to see a stage being built at the opposite end of my road without any consultation. I too would have been furious with the disturbance Scrooge talks about. Let's hope that now the driving force (ie Crumpet) has gone bust we will have no more of this nonsense - it's not Notting Hill after all, no matter how much some people would like it to be!

[hjm]

Oh my goodness Scrooge, I am stunned by your strength of feeling. The carnival might be slightly inconvenient for you it is for ONE DAY A YEAR.

Next time I suggest that rather than sitting indoors with the curtains closed you go outside and join in the fun. You never know, you might actually enjoy yourself.

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

hjm - maybe I should go on one of the rides and get a different perspective of my own living room!!

[KatherineHepburn]

You know, it's a great idea to move these events up to Wandsworth Common. They could be much bigger, easier to navigate (without fear that the 319 will take you out!) and incorporate so much more entertainment.
And it is only a very short walk up from Northcote Road. The kids could run around, again without fear of passing traffic, and it could be a real event.

If I'm being honest I think that I'd have a complete sense of humour failure if a bloody great ride started setting up outside my house at 7am on a Sunday morning without any prior consultation...

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

I always knew KatherineHepburn was a classy lady...

[supergirl]

Scrooge - what I meant was that given the size of the ride, people when at the top had other things in their mind than looking in I promise. I love those kind of rides, but seriously you are too busy screaming or holding yourself to look in! Or if you look, you look for your friends/family on the ground

Of course a ride like that had nothing to do on the road - way too big. But the carnival is fun and it is nice to have all the businesses and the community to join in for one day.

I agree with the let's have a HUGE one on the common. If there is a committee, I'd like to volunteer!

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

supergirl - i am delighted to hear you are in support of any future 'carnival'/celebration of summer/'recover from the riots of last summer' event should be held on Wandsworth Common going forward. It is relatively self-explanatory as why else do we have that large, 'common' space if not for such community events? I know of several businesses up and down the road who very much disagreed with such a carnival taking place last time too so these unhappy business owners and residents of the road would also welcome a switch of venue. It would also involve more of the Wandsworth part of the borough too and not just the Batterea/BTC part.

I wonder if Jack Dee will be walking around the park with his dog on that day?!

[schoolgatesmum]

I have to say that I'm not sure what the Northcote Road Carnival was all about. My husband has a shop on Northcote Road and most of the shops weren't really interested in having the carnival. Most of the people who love to sit in the coffee shops don't really use any of the local independent shops (that's why Ted is leaving the street). So many people love the idea of Northcote Road and love the fact that there are all these great shops but they never actually shop in them! Having a carnival and asking people not from the area to set up market stalls is frankly offensive to the people who have had businesses on Northcote Road for years. The businesses (apart from the cafes!) themselves don't gain from the carnival (in fact if anything they lose out). What is it celebrating?

[Scrooge_in_SW11]

Thanks to you, in particular, for your perspective and that of your husband as a local business owner. I heard much the same feedback when I canvassed a few local businesses when gauging what level of feedback to provide the Council with after this event had concluded and following on from my own personal experience of the farcical event.

It is a complete 'red herring' that the 'majority' of local businesses supported this event by all accounts. And we should really stop calling it a carnival as it was certainly not that...go to any part of Germany and see what a proper carnival looks like with floats etc.

This part of schoolgatesmum is absolutely spot-on and I couldn't agree more with:

"Having a carnival and asking people not from the area to set up market stalls is frankly offensive to the people who have had businesses on Northcote Road for years. The businesses (apart from the cafes!) themselves don't gain from the carnival (in fact if anything they lose out). What is it celebrating?"

WHAT WAS IT CELEBRATING?! Point very well made - thanks.

[supergirl]

Well i might be inpopular but i d love to see some french market stalls once in a while, a bit like what you have on Duke of York square...