Residents in Tottenham are calling on Haringey Council to protect public space after a community-run pavilion in Tower Gardens Park was put up for commercial rent at £45,000 a year. The building, once empty and a magnet for anti-social behaviour, has been transformed by the Tower Gardens Community Corner (TGCC) group, which fears the park could be carved up for private use and profit.
Community transformation threatened by commercial listing
The one-storey unit was previously occupied by IntoUniversity, a charity providing education centres for under-18s, for over a decade. While doing 'great work', the team's limited operating hours attracted anti-social behaviour and drug users. Kate Swade, chair of TGCC, explained: "Local people repeatedly told us they don't go into the park because it feels unsafe. The shutters were always down and created great cover for drug taking and dealing."
In August 2026, the council granted TGCC a one-year lease, allowing volunteers to clean, paint, and repair the building. They began running activities, including a drop-in play area, a 'living room', self-defence classes, and a repair café. "Whereas, we're open three nights a week as a drop-in play area and 'living room', and it already feels more welcoming," Kate said.
But barely a month after reopening, the building was listed for £45,000 a year in an advert that until recently boasted of 'ample' outdoor space and parking. Kate told MyLondon: "We signed knowing there was a one-month break clause, and the council would market it, but we did think it would take them longer than it has. We've always said to the officers that this kind of community effort is a slow burn, and it's been really lovely to see people getting to know their neighbours. There's no other common space like it on the estate."
Concerns over park privatisation and viability
The group worries that the building will be leased to a private nursery or café, or left empty. At £45,000 per annum, they 'struggle' to see how it can be viable. "There's very little footfall, so it doesn't feel like any retail or hospitality business would walk in there and think 'Oh, this is a great opportunity'," Kate said. "The park is also very dark at night, especially in the winter."
Dayal Strub, a director at TGCC, added: "The tenant really has to be something that isn't a single charity or private entity that is then shut down on the weekends. We've also had issues with people using the park as a toilet, which obviously isn't pleasant."
Kate emphasised the risk to the park itself: "To advertise the building as having an outdoor area and parking is simply not true because it's in a park, and cars would need to use the surrounding streets. If parts were allowed to be blocked off, I think that would essentially be the end of the park. That feels like a really slippery slope that we can't go down."
Council responds amid funding pressures
Tower Gardens residents are now urging Haringey Council to take the pavilion off the market and allow the not-for-profit community space to see out its lease. A petition is gaining traction, and the council has reportedly temporarily paused viewings, with the online advert now taken down.
Kate understands the financial constraints on the council, which declared a "funding emergency" in 2025, with former leader Peray Ahmet asking the government for up to £37 million. "I have a huge amount of sympathy for them," Kate said. "I really feel the pressure they're under and the way that's translating into staffing pressures. I do feel they believe they're doing their jobs and they have a right to but I think it's a very short-sighted way of solving a complex problem."
Dayal added: "Tower Gardens in particular has been underinvested in and very unloved, and we have an opportunity to make the neighbourhood welcoming for everyone. The building should face into the community, not away from it."
Haringey Council Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Ata Berk Aksit, said: "As an administration, we are committed to keeping neighbourhood assets in the hands of the community. In August 2026, we entered into a lease with Tower Gardens Community Corner (TGCC) to ensure that the building remained occupied and available for community use rather than standing vacant. This was only intended to provide temporary and flexible occupation whilst a new long-term occupier could be found."
She added: "We are sympathetic to the concerns of the group and want to clarify that the marketing related solely to the pavilion building. We appreciate this could have been communicated better. As a Council, we are working to resolve these concerns and, to facilitate this, we have withdrawn the advertisement whilst a way forward is being agreed. Tower Gardens Park is designated as Significant Local Open Land, reflecting its importance for recreation, biodiversity and the local environment. The council remains committed to securing the best outcome for both the park, the pavilion and the wider community."
The council has withdrawn the advertisement while a way forward is agreed, and the group continues to advocate for the building to remain a community asset.
