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+ Barnet burglars get prison from summer disorder (02/12/2011 - 12:47:06)
Barnet burglars get prison from summer disorder
Barnet burglars get prison from summer disorder
At 11.30 at night on Monday August 8th 2011, when the disturbances in London were at their height, a group of 5 young men in Barnet made an ill-judged decision to copy what was going on elsewhere and to engage in burgling a Barnet store - they chose the PHONES 4 U store located in the High Street, Barnet. However, what the thieves did not realised was the manager; already alert to the criminality elsewhere had already removed the valuable stock from the shop.
A member of the public witnessed them smashing the glass door and windows of the store and immediately called the police. The men entered the store for a short time then came out carrying boxes of goods. As the police arrived they broke into a run, heading off down the High Street. There was a foot chase involving several officers as they pursued the men in different directions taking in Wood Street and Manor Road.
Toby Okonkwo, aged 18, of Derby Road, London E18, was arrested at 11.45 p.m. and David Kyne, aged 19, of Euesden Close, London N9, was arrested at 11.50. p.m. - Mr Kyne was wearing a sock on his hand, a common practise by burglars.
Numerous CCTV cameras in the area give almost continuous coverage of the burglary revealing full details of the men and the clothing they were wearing.
On November 28th 2011 at Wood Green Court, Toby Okonkwo pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to 17 months in a Young Offenders Institute.
David Kyne also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 months in a Young Offenders Institute.
Officer in the case DC Knight of Barnet CID said
"It was shocking to discover that the defendants were both due to start University in Sept 2011 yet the pair undertook a planned, organised raid on a phone shop where they failed to consider that the area was covered by excellent CCTV, that local police units were nearby or that the shop's stock would be safely secured.
“In all, risking injury, arrest and imprisonment, the pair and their accomplices managed to escape with three mobile phone chargers. I believe that the sentences today will provide satisfaction to the victim, the residents of Barnet and will act as a deterrent to those considering equally foolish and pointless crimes."
Posted @ 12:47:06 on 02 December 2011 back to top
Smart Phone to replace Door Keys?
The key use of smartphones http://www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK TIMES
The pivotal use of near-field-technology may just be dangling off your keychain
01:40 PM Jul 04, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO - Pockets and purses are slowly being emptied of one of civilisation's most basic and enduring tools: The key.
New technology lets smartphones unlock hotel, office and house doors and open garages and even car doors.
The technology is a not-too-distant cousin of the technology that unlocks automobiles or key cards remotely by waving at electronic pads.
What's new is that it is on the ubiquitous smartphone.
The phone simply sends a signal through the Internet and a converter box to the lock. Other systems use internal company networks, like General Motors' (GM) OnStar system, to unlock car doors.
Because nearly everyone has a cellphone, a number of start-ups, lock companies and carmakers are betting on broad acceptance of the technology.
Recently, Mr Dwight Gibson, vice president for connected home solutions at Ingersoll Rand said he used the system to let a friend into his house while he was sitting at his desk at work. "She thought it was magic," he said.
Daimler-Benz now has it on its Mercedes. In October, GM introduced an app that lets owners of most 2011 GM models lock and unlock cardoors, and start the engine remotely. It allows car owners to warm up the engine or fire up the air-conditioning on a hot day from the comfort of their office cubicle, said Mr Timothy Nixon, who oversees "infotainment" products for the automaker.
Mr Nixon had also used his phone to double-check that he had locked his car door at the departure airport after his flight had landed.
But having a phone double for entry or ignition does not yet feel fail-safe. "You don't want a dead phone battery and discover you can't go anywhere," Mr Nixon said.
It's unlikely you'd hide a spare phone under a rock or in the bushes. (Though a homeowner may want to stash a physical house key outside in case the home Internet connection goes down.)
Another sticking point is that the technology remains fairly cumbersome as users have to push buttons on their phone to communicate with a system in the car or house.
Mobile phone industry analysts say that process will get easier with the new technology called Near Field Communications, or NFC. It allows the phone to be waved like a magnetic card to capture the signal and click open a door.
NFC is now in only a handful of phones, but manufacturers should ship around 550 million NFC phones in 2015, according to IHS iSuppli, a technology consulting firm.
In an eight-month trial using NFC technology, visitors to the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm were invited to use their phones to enter their rooms.
On the day of their arrival, guests received a text message with a web address where they could check in. After the check-in process was complete, the hotel sent an electronic room key to the guest's mobile phone. The guests loved it, said Mr Tam Hulusi, senior vice president for strategic innovation for HID Global, a smart card company that, with its parent, Assa Abloy, a Swedish lock maker, participated in the test.
"The idea is not to prove the technology - this isn't rocket science," Mr Hulusi said. "It's to see how humans react."
One advantage of the technology is that keys can expire. Apigy, a start-up in California, is marketing its Lockitron system for companies that use contract workers and for people with vacation rentals.
"We're making a virtual copy of a key," said Mr Cameron Robertson, 24, one of two co-founders of Apigy. "It lets you give people instant access - temporary or permanent."
Mr Joey Mucha (pictured), 24, installed a Lockitron system at his San Francisco apartment last year. It cost US$300 (S$367) for the system and US$40 to replace his deadbolt and door handle.
Mr Mucha says it was worth the expense because he rents his one-bedroom apartment when he is out of town. He has dispensed with the inconvenience of making copies of keys and arranging to give them to guests, and the risk that the keys could be copied.
Instead, he issues temporary passwords to get into his apartment. He had even unlocked his door remotely for a guest while he was standing on a golf course.
He said he had run into the occasional problem, like one guest whose cellphone ran out of power and who had to use his laptop to open the door. "I am trying to come up with a backup plan," he said. "Maybe I will leave a cellphone charger at the corner deli." NEW YORK TIMES
New technology lets smartphones unlock hotel, office and house doors and open garages and even car doors.
The technology is a not-too-distant cousin of the technology that unlocks automobiles or key cards remotely by waving at electronic pads.
What's new is that it is on the ubiquitous smartphone.
The phone simply sends a signal through the Internet and a converter box to the lock. Other systems use internal company networks, like General Motors' (GM) OnStar system, to unlock car doors.
Because nearly everyone has a cellphone, a number of start-ups, lock companies and carmakers are betting on broad acceptance of the technology.
Recently, Mr Dwight Gibson, vice president for connected home solutions at Ingersoll Rand said he used the system to let a friend into his house while he was sitting at his desk at work. "She thought it was magic," he said.
Daimler-Benz now has it on its Mercedes. In October, GM introduced an app that lets owners of most 2011 GM models lock and unlock cardoors, and start the engine remotely. It allows car owners to warm up the engine or fire up the air-conditioning on a hot day from the comfort of their office cubicle, said Mr Timothy Nixon, who oversees "infotainment" products for the automaker.
Mr Nixon had also used his phone to double-check that he had locked his car door at the departure airport after his flight had landed.
But having a phone double for entry or ignition does not yet feel fail-safe. "You don't want a dead phone battery and discover you can't go anywhere," Mr Nixon said.
It's unlikely you'd hide a spare phone under a rock or in the bushes. (Though a homeowner may want to stash a physical house key outside in case the home Internet connection goes down.)
Another sticking point is that the technology remains fairly cumbersome as users have to push buttons on their phone to communicate with a system in the car or house.
Mobile phone industry analysts say that process will get easier with the new technology called Near Field Communications, or NFC. It allows the phone to be waved like a magnetic card to capture the signal and click open a door.
NFC is now in only a handful of phones, but manufacturers should ship around 550 million NFC phones in 2015, according to IHS iSuppli, a technology consulting firm.
In an eight-month trial using NFC technology, visitors to the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm were invited to use their phones to enter their rooms.
On the day of their arrival, guests received a text message with a web address where they could check in. After the check-in process was complete, the hotel sent an electronic room key to the guest's mobile phone. The guests loved it, said Mr Tam Hulusi, senior vice president for strategic innovation for HID Global, a smart card company that, with its parent, Assa Abloy, a Swedish lock maker, participated in the test.
"The idea is not to prove the technology - this isn't rocket science," Mr Hulusi said. "It's to see how humans react."
One advantage of the technology is that keys can expire. Apigy, a start-up in California, is marketing its Lockitron system for companies that use contract workers and for people with vacation rentals.
"We're making a virtual copy of a key," said Mr Cameron Robertson, 24, one of two co-founders of Apigy. "It lets you give people instant access - temporary or permanent."
Mr Joey Mucha (pictured), 24, installed a Lockitron system at his San Francisco apartment last year. It cost US$300 (S$367) for the system and US$40 to replace his deadbolt and door handle.
Mr Mucha says it was worth the expense because he rents his one-bedroom apartment when he is out of town. He has dispensed with the inconvenience of making copies of keys and arranging to give them to guests, and the risk that the keys could be copied.
Instead, he issues temporary passwords to get into his apartment. He had even unlocked his door remotely for a guest while he was standing on a golf course.
He said he had run into the occasional problem, like one guest whose cellphone ran out of power and who had to use his laptop to open the door. "I am trying to come up with a backup plan," he said. "Maybe I will leave a cellphone charger at the corner deli." NEW YORK TIMES
Mr Joey Mucha installed a system in his San Francisco apartment that allows him to open his door with his iPhone. NEW YORK TIMES
   Mr Joey Mucha installed a system in his San Francisco apartment that allows him to open his door with his iPhone. NEW YORK TIMES
Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd |
Posted @ 15:34:01 on 04 July 2011 back to top
Whetstone Finally has a Fish & Chip Shop!
After many years in the wilderness someone has finally opened a fish in chip shop in the Totteridge & Whetstone area. Well Done!
Located near the corner of Chandos Avenue and The High Road, Andrew's Fish & Chips has opened in the former Romano's Pizza site.
We've tried it and we like it!
The details are:
Andrew's Fish & Chips
1368 High Road
Whetstone
London
N20 9HJ
Tel: 020 8446 2829
OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY 12
noon to 9:00pm
Posted @ 15:48:37 on 16 March 2011 back to top
New homeowners urged to change locks
New homeowners urged to change locks
by Richard Kilner
People who move house are being urged to change the locks, as failure to do so exposes them to increased risk of burglary.
The findings comes from new research commissioned by Direct Line and show that 63% of people moving into a new home do not bother to change the locks.
More than 70% of people have a spare key looked after by a family member, with 22% handing on to neighbours.
Direct Line's research also finds a number of basic home security errors are common, particularly leaving a spare key outside (often under the doormat).
More than 3.4m people (7%) have a spare key outside, and these can prove greatly helpful to burglars, whether hidden under a doormat, or plant pot, or elsewhere.
Direct Line's Matt Owen described the failure to change locks when moving into a new home and keeping a key outside as "handing a gold-plated invitation to burglars."
Last week Direct Line warned homeowners of widespread underinsurance, with £212.9bn in home contents not covered in the UK.
26th January 2011
by Richard Kilner
People who move house are being urged to change the locks, as failure to do so exposes them to increased risk of burglary.
The findings comes from new research commissioned by Direct Line and show that 63% of people moving into a new home do not bother to change the locks.
More than 70% of people have a spare key looked after by a family member, with 22% handing on to neighbours.
Direct Line's research also finds a number of basic home security errors are common, particularly leaving a spare key outside (often under the doormat).
More than 3.4m people (7%) have a spare key outside, and these can prove greatly helpful to burglars, whether hidden under a doormat, or plant pot, or elsewhere.
Direct Line's Matt Owen described the failure to change locks when moving into a new home and keeping a key outside as "handing a gold-plated invitation to burglars."
Last week Direct Line warned homeowners of widespread underinsurance, with £212.9bn in home contents not covered in the UK.
26th January 2011
Posted @ 12:03:04 on 02 February 2011 back to top
Inflated rental values for shops on Totteridge Lane N20
If you are thinking of starting or relocating your business to
I have in depth knowledge of the going rates in Totteridge and Whetstone gathered over 20 years.
I can tell you what shops have tried and failed and the reasons behind their demise.
I can tell you about local shoppers and how few of them there are.
I can tell you why the wealthy people of Totteridge hardly ever shop locally.
I can tell you why so many multiple or national retailers are not interested in N20
Why do I offer this free advice?
Well, when you come along and sign a lease from a greedy landlord at more than the going rate, you influence the 'going rate' when it comes to rent review time for existing shop keepers.
You cost us money when you agree to too much rent, it's as simple as that.
Remember, don't sign that lease until you have spoken to me! 020 8445 4454 ext 221
Commercial leases are very serious and most people enter into them without fully understanding their true commitment and the potential for ruining their lives and wiping out their life savings.
Take for example a shop to let for say £25,000 per year on a 12 year lease.
You have a 'dream' to open a shop and nothing is going to stop you, so you look at this £25,000 per year something like this:
£25,000 a year, divide by 52 weeks is only £480 per week, that's not so bad.
Then you go a step further, trying to convince yourself that it's affordable:
£480 a week, well I am going to open the shop six days a week, so that only £80 a day, I can make that easy.
WRONG!
What you are actually committed to is a minimum of £300,000 over the 12 years and trust me the landlord is going to want every penny of it.
In fact, it's worse, much worse, because the lease will provide for upward only rent reviews every 3 or 4 years.
On top of that you will have to pay the landlord's building insurance every year along with all the utility bills and the enormous business rates. This is before you stock your shop or pay any staff or advertising costs.
You will also have professional fees to take into consideration, as you will need representation when the landlord tries to hike up the rent to a figure you don't agree with.
And that's not all, this is the real corker, you have to maintain the building as you will no doubt have a full repairing and insuring lease (FRI).
Now let's see, how much is that £80 a day shop going to cost you?
I estimate somewhere in the region of half a million pounds over the 12 years.
I will put it another way £500,000.
Get it yet?
Ok, so you think, if it doesn't work I will get rid of the shop, how hard can that be?
VERY HARD
You now have a lease with your name on it. It's been tweaked by the landlord's lawyer and by your own, but trust me here, it's all in the landlord's favour when it comes to assigning the lease to a third party.
YOU have to find a suitable assignee, this means you have to contract and pay the estate agent to find a suitable replacement for your name on the lease.
Easy? Not really, because your landlord will have to approve the assignee and the chances are he won't want to.
Why? Because he already has your commitment to the lease, why should he care if you want to leave?
Legally speaking your landlord cannot unreasonably withhold his consent to an assignee.
In reality he can and he probably will.
Remember, he already knows all about you, chances are he accepted you in the first place because you were a home-owner with significant equity in your home. Generally speaking it's very difficult to be granted a commercial lease unless you are in fact a homeowner, this is what is called the 'covenant' or 'risk 'of the tenant defaulting and running away without paying. It's very difficult to default on a commercial lease. They will get their money in the end, they almost always do.
They will come after your home if they have to.
So, where does that leave you? Up a creek without a paddle.
Maybe you find a potential assignee that the landlord with eventually accept, this may have taken over a year, maybe two or more.
Oh, but there is a problem, the incoming tenant isn't happy with the rent. He says it too much and much more than the other shops are paying on the parade. He has asked around and your rent of £25,000 is more than double the going rate for the other shops in the same location of a similar size.
Oh, no, what did you sign here? Nobody wants your lease as the rent YOU agreed to pay is way too high and they can get a better deal elsewhere.
What are my options now?
NONE
You are going to have to wait for potentially years to find a incoming tenant willing to pay too much or you are going to have to buy your way out of the lease.
You now approach the landlord and as he rubs his hands with greed, he says, "5 years rent u- front and I will tear up your lease and let you go." FIVE YEARS?? That’s £125,000. He says, yes it is, but I am under no obligation to let you out of the lease. I can just leave you in there paying the rent, I will get way more than £125,000 in the long run. I am doing you a favour mate.
This is a nightmare scenario that happens every day to people like you. Good honest people with a dream to open a shop and run a nice little business.
1. I recommend that you do not open a shop, almost all fail.
2. Do your research and make sure the rent you are agreeing to is the going rate and not a penny more.
3. Make sure you are well financed. What do I mean by this? It's really simple, make sure that you can afford to pay all your home bills and the new shop bills for a period of at least 3 years without making a profit from the shop. Reason? Because you won't.
Lastly, if you are planning on ANY business on Totteridge Lane N20 or anywhere in Whetstone N20, please talk to me first. I hate to see good people loose their life savings and go through hell.
Contact me on 020 8445 4454 ext 221
Station Parade,
This is a small parade of shops of mixed use.
The Current traders are as follows:
48,46 &
Posted @ 11:47:25 on 15 October 2010 back to top
Recession-Proof Totteridge?
Recession-proof Totteridge
In leafy Totteridge you’re surrounded by countryside but still only 35 minutes from Leicester Square. It’s perfect for families, says Anna Tobin
© Barry Philips
Green belt: Big Wood is just part of the open countryside around Totteridge
The feeling of being in the heart of the country lingers on to Totteridge Common. This takes you past the aptly named Long Pond (fringed by fishermen in the season), Ellern Mede Farm, the "fairytale wedding" church, the picturesque Orange Tree gastropub, the green-shuttered school house and the village green.
Then there are two small parades of shops either side of the Tube station that are top-heavy with estate agents. Check the prices of the houses advertised in the windows and it’s back to the present with a bump. If you’re looking for a house designed for 21st century living, with at least three bedrooms, a study, playroom, utility room and downstairs cloakroom, you’ll need at least £550,000.
‘It has the benefits of London and all the delights of the country and a huge variety of properties’
You will always pay a premium for this location. This leafy London village is sandwiched between green belt land to its north and south, and the more developed suburbs of Whetstone and Mill Hill to its east and west.Totteridge & Whetstone Tube station is the penultimate stop atop the Northern line, yet only 35 minutes from Leicester Square (on a really good day) and 38 minutes from Bank. The overground station, Oakleigh Park, is also only a five-minute drive away and that will get you to Moorgate in 25 minutes. The Tube station has a car park and there are no parking restrictions around either station.
For commuters who want to enjoy the benefits of London and the delights of the country, it’s the place to pitch up - but don’t expect to find any recession bargains there.
© David Poole
Pub lunch: The Orange Tree gastropub is very popular with locals
Jim Falconer of Winkworth’s Totteridge branch says: "There is never a lot of property on the market. That is not to say that prices haven’t eased off. I’ve seen a 15 to 20 per cent fall over the past 18 months or so but there have also been a few exceptions. I’ve sold a couple of houses recently with a 25 per cent uplift. If something is special enough, people will pay a high price for it."
And there are a lot of exceptional properties. Totteridge has an eclectic mix of housing, a huge variety in size and scope. There are sprawling period and period-style country estates in acres of land, large detached family homes with carriage drives encircling manicured lawns, as well as picture-postcard cottages.
On the outskirts of Totteridge, towards Woodside Park and Whetstone, there are a few roads of more uniform semis and smaller detached properties, and homes needing some TLC.
Cute does not always mean sensible but if you want sweet historical cottages you will also get dated layouts and awkward vehicular access, and renovation won’t be easy. Much of Totteridge is within a conservation area. It has a powerful, well-connected residents’ association, and an influential charity, the Totteridge Manor Association, controls all the common and manorial land. A strong community preserves Totteridge’s character, along with its popular tennis, golf and cricket clubs.
You have to be quick to pick up a property. But, explains Lawrence Henry: "Older people do downsize to something they can securely leave for trips abroad. This frees up space for younger families."
© Charlie Birchmore
Great for families: the Simpsons have moved three times in Totteridge
‘We’ve always felt safe and comfortable’
Garry Simpson lives in Totteridge with his wife Michele and their four children, Natasha (12), Ben (11), Isabella (six) and one-year-old Chloë. He first bought there in 1995 and has moved within the area three times since then.
"We love the green-belt land for jogging and cycling and the empty countryside nearby. We’ve always felt safe and comfortable and made lots of family friends," says Garry.
"We also like the village feel, the Orange Tree pub, the village hall and the useful shops on the parade. Also, in Whetstone High Road, there are a couple of good restaurants, a Waitrose and Marks & Spencer. It is also near the A1, M1 and M25.
"Previously, I was working in the West End but I have now relocated my property company to Whetstone. It’s working out well as I can take the kids to school and see them take part in sporting events. I’ve got a good work/life balance."
Fact box:
Local council and education authority: Barnet (020 8359 2000). Band B council tax 2008/09, £1,083; Band H £2,785.Schools: There are two above-average state primary schools in Totteridge: St Andrew’s Church of England voluntary-aided school and Woodridge School. Lyonsdown in New Barnet is a popular local prep school, while Queen Elizabeth Girls and Queen Elizabeth Boys are heavily oversubscribed local state secondary schools.
Shopping: Celebrity florist Sam Moore has a stand by the station and the two small parades either side have useful local shops. In Whetstone there is a Waitrose, M&S and a large Boots. Patric James has two shops, one for men and one for women, selling contemporary designer clothes and shoes (020 8445 9742/020 8445 2400), while Ruth specialises in children’s special-occasion wear (020 8445 7658).
Eating out: The Orange Tree (020 8343 7031) is a smart gastropub with a lovely outdoor eating area. In Whetstone High Road, The Rotisserie (020 8343 8585) serves good steaks, and for more sophisticated dining there’s The Haven (020 8445 7419).
Commuting: Totteridge & Whetstone Northern line Tube station is in Zone 4 and an annual season ticket covering zones one to four costs £1,472.
Recreation: South Herts Golf Club (020 8445 2035); Totteridge Tennis Club (020 8445 4111); Totteridge Cricket Club (020 8445 5331).
Posted @ 12:40:46 on 28 September 2010 back to top
Restaurant with A3 use, Lease for sale, Totteridge Lane, London, N20
The Totteridge Brasserie, our next door neigbour is up for sale.
The lease is being offered for sale on the web site of Claridges Commercial.
We at Totteridge Locksmiths have no interest or connection with this sale.
The details as they appeared on the Claridges Commercial webite today are below:
Location:
Situated in a parade of shops in Totteridge Lane close to the station. Totteridge is an affluent location close to Whetstone and Woodside Park.
Description:
The premises comprise a long established restaurant in need of some modernisation and with extension potential.
Currently arranged with 40 covers.
The rental is at a low level and historically has remained so during the tenancy of the current tenant for 17 years plus.
Areas:
Internal width - 14'5"
Internal depth - 39'5"
Total area - 572 sq ft
Lease:
Held on a 20 year FRI lease from 2001 with 5 yearly rent reviews at £8,500 pa.
Rates:
London Borough of Barnet - Rateable value £6,400/rates payable £2,913.20 pa. Interested parties should make their own enquiries via the Local Authority or Valuation Office www.voa.gov.uk. Claridges cannot guarantee any figures.
Viewing:
By appointment only via sole agents Claridges Commercial 0845 205 0007
Premium:
£120,000 is sought for the lease, goodwill, fixtures, fittings and equipment.
Posted @ 20:52:22 on 27 September 2010 back to top
Customer Parking on Station Parade, Totteridge Lane
Customer parking here on the parade has always been an issue. Originally, there were no parking restrictions but we only had five parking spaces arranged in the traditional manner parallel to the kerb.
These five spaces were occupied all day with either commuters using Totteridge & Whetstone underground station or some of the actual shopkeepers themselves parking their own cars.
Clearly, something had to be done as customers need to be able to park. We at Totteridge Locksmiths waged a campaign with Barnet Council that took over four years to reach a favourable outcome. Finally after badgering the Council and the Councillors, they agreed to carry out a consultation of the local shops and homes to see if parking restrictions were called for. There were various options contained in the consolation document, including ‘no change to the current arrangement’ and we all had to vote for our preferred option. Democracy won the day and the current pay and display bay, with ‘no return’ within 2 hours scheme was adopted. The bays were marked out at an angle to the kerb and the five spaces became nine.
This immediately put a stop to the commuters from parking on the parade but unfortunately some of the shopkeepers continued (and still continue) to thoughtlessly park their own cars here. Why oh why they cannot see that we must leave these invaluable spaces for customers is beyond me.
In this photograph two of the chief offender’s cars are seen parked, one in red and one in white.
Sure, if you need to load or unload it’s understandable, but with so much free parking within walking distance, surely it makes sense to leave the spaces for customers?
The additional issue on the parade with regards to parking is the woefully inadequate enforcement from our Civil Enforcement Officers (Parking Wardens).
They just don’t seem to understand (or care) how to correctly enforce the parking restrictions.
They fail to enforce the ‘no return’ rule. This involves taking notes of which vehicle is parked on the parade on each occasion that they visit the bay. Presumably this is a very tedious part of their work, far more fun to issue a ticket and ride-off on their mopeds.
They don’t enforce the ‘park wholly with the marked bay’ rule. This leads to cars parked all over the place with no regard for allowing space between cars.
The worst thing that they do is arrive on the bay and saunter around in plain view of all the shopkeepers who have parked without paying and displaying. It gives them all the time they need to either run to the meter to buy a ticket or jump in the car to drive away.
Posted @ 15:02:59 on 17 September 2010 back to top
Travellers living in £1m Totteridge Home are on benefits
by: Ellen Widdup, London Evening Standard
A family of travellers believed to be suspected of a series of “distraction burglaries” are living in a £1 million house at the taxpayers' expense.
John and Serena Connors and their five children share five bedrooms and three bathrooms in the north London property, which is paid for by housing benefit.
Their landlady, businesswoman Sapna Bukhari, is trying to evict them because she claims they have caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage
and neighbours have complained about the noise they make and the mounds of rubbish, which includes old food, clothes and cat excrement, left in their back garden.
But Mrs Connors, who is originally from County Wexford in Ireland, said her family were the victims and she was determined to stay. She threatened to take legal action over “racism against travellers” if they were pushed out.
“The landlady doesn't like travellers,” she said. “It's racism, I'm going to get her done for harassment.”
The Metropolitan Police has released a leaflet to residents claiming an unnamed family of travellers are suspects in a series of burglaries.
Mrs Connors said she was making a complaint to the police about the accusation, which she believes is aimed at her family.
“My kids are cheeky but they aren't thieves,” she added. Although it does not name the Connors, the leaflet claims the perpetrators are “from the travelling community”, and describes two teenage girls with Irish accents.
Headed “Warning”, the leaflet was issued by the Totteridge Safer Neighbourhood Team to all houses in the street except the Connors, and claims thieves in the area have approached
homeowners asking to use the lavatory and telling general stories of hard luck.
It says: “All will end in them trying to enter your house and steal anything they can get their hands on.”
Today Mrs Bukhari said she hoped the police would support her bid to have the family evicted.
She said she and her husband Zulfi, both 38, were approached by Barnet council in February about the Connors.
Council officials told her they were under an obligation to find them a large enough house and said the family would be benefiting from the Local Housing Allowance.
With the rental market falling, Mrs Bukhari agreed to let the house to the Connors for £2,400 a month after being assured they were “good tenants”.
But she said: “Within a few weeks of them moving in, a radiator was pulled off the wall and the water from it made the ceiling collapse. They threatened me, my builder and my plumber.
“They've twice blocked the drains so sewage has flowed on to the pavement, have thrown food, clothes, cat excrement and all manner of rubbish into the gardens, and shout and scream vile
obscenities.
“They won't even let the builders come in to carry out repairs. I'm worried the damage will cost tens of thousands.”
Posted @ 17:59:26 on 27 September 2009 back to top
N20 London postcode, swanky country style
By: Adam Edwards, The Telegraph 2003
Totteridge Lane: a millionaires' row for N20
The Beverly Hills of London: Des O'Connor, Bruce Forsyth and the late Peter Sellers used to live on Totteridge Lane
Urban farm: running Ellern Mede is a struggle
If London's roads had celebrity status the 'A' list would be Eaton Square, Kensington Palace Gardens, The Boltons and The Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead. These are the David Beckhams of bricks and mortar. They are the international fat cat boulevards of the city, the fabulous homes that Hello! magazine would most like to be welcomed into.
Oh yes, and there is Totteridge Lane, too. It is in N20.
Totteridge Lane is a little-known leafy bus route between the two ends of the Northern Line, Edgware and Barnet. It is also the hottest property spot in the capital at the moment.
While property prices for the rest of smart London are static or dropping, the houses in Totteridge Lane, also called variously along its length Totteridge Village and Totteridge Common, are selling like Porsches to pop stars. In two weeks alone, two houses in the Lane were sold for around £5 million and a third was under offer for a similar price. One of them is a Lutyens-style house formerly owned by Margaret Thatcher's friend, the commercial property developer Godfrey Bradman. It has an operational nuclear bunker and a red telephone hot line to Downing Street (now disconnected).
"I am selling the housing equivalent of Rembrandts," said Nick Staton, the very picture of the North London estate agent in his blue serge suit and Windsor-knotted tie. "And if somebody wants a Rembrandt they are happy to pay any price for it."
In August, for example, he sold Lynch House with its own stabling, barns and paddock for £5.3 million. "If I take on a property in Totteridge Lane I put it back on the market the next day at double the price. There is a very long waiting list to get a house anywhere along The Lane," he said, fiddling nervously with a packet of Dunhill.
The Lane, as it is known locally, is the Howard Hughes of the des res and the luxuriously appointed. There are no paparazzi camped outside the houses, no Filipino maids clearing the leaves from its wide grass verges or chauffeured Range Rovers parked on double yellow lines that indicate a superstar living behind the white, distinctively curved house name-posts. It is, says Staton, for the rich who want to keep quiet about it.
Most of the properties along the leafy lane are set well back, hidden by discreet walls and electronic gates. There are no more than 40 houses in The Lane and Staton claims that, except for a couple of houses lived in by "the old school" that have never come on the market, the rest are owned by international royalty, film stars, a dozen of the richest men in the country (including David Thompson of Thompson Investments and Lord Levy) and a collection of the Arsenal football team (their training ground is nearby).
It was once known as the Beverly Hills of London, a place where Des O'Connor, Bruce Forsyth and the late Peter Sellers lived. And it was in the news earlier this year when the pop entrepreneur Mickey Most died. His red-brick house, with its white columns that bear a startling resemblance to J R Ewing's Southfork, was reputed to be the largest private house built in London since the war.
The reason why the area commands such high prices is that it is much closer to central London than, say, anywhere in Surrey, yet the houses are as swanky as anything in the shires. Most are grand, red-brick neo-Georgian, although there are some fine period houses.
But it has another, less obvious, attraction. It is built on a ridge of high ground in the middle of the green belt. And so, if one looks from the gardens of the houses on the south side, for example, one sees countryside in the foreground and, in the distance, Trellick Tower in Notting Hill to the west or Canary Wharf in Docklands to the east. To the north is parkland, golf courses and common land owned by the local authority.
"It is unique to London," said Simon Edwards, an agent for FPD Savills. "Where else can you have a country house with a London postcode?" That view is bolstered by the juxtaposition of the Totteridge and Whetstone Tube station and Ellern Mede Farm.
However, farming in a London postcode is not easy. Linda Stubbs is struggling with the 300 acres at Ellern Mede to the south of Totteridge Lane, 10 miles from Marble Arch and less than half a mile from the underground station. It used to be a dairy farm and then arable; now it is just chickens and winter beef. Linda also runs a farm shop from an outbuilding to supplement her income. "The farm only just ticks over," said Linda whose family moved here from Lancashire 43 years ago. "Unfortunately the land is leased. If I owned it I wouldn't be farming now, would I?"
She certainly would not. The property in Totteridge Lane is as valuable as any in the country and does not appear to be affected by any downturn in the market.
"The prime central London market has had a difficult year," said Mr Edwards. "Turnover is down across the board. But Totteridge Lane seems to be bucking the trend. It has come of age."
It does of course have one drawback compared to the other A-list roads. It is the only one among its property peers that is designated an 'A' road: the A5109 to be precise. That may help to explain its anonymity - it is not a number that is going to leap from the front cover of Hello!
Posted @ 20:42:14 on 22 November 2003 back to top
