Long-term measures to stop people using the road outside Alexandra Palace as a “race track” will be brought in to replace the existing concrete barricades.

At a meeting on Monday Louise Stewart, chief executive of the charitable trust that runs Ally Pally, said the current enforcement measures on Alexandra Way were “temporary” and would be replaced with a “more permanent solution” – although she was unable to give a timescale for the changes.

The Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust introduced the measures, which included barricades to prevent parking and traffic marshalls who could issue penalty charge notices of up to £100, in spring last year. It came in response to a “significant increase” in nighttime antisocial behaviour and people using the road as a “race track”, according to a report published in March.

During the joint meeting of the Alexandra Park and Palace statutory advisory and consultative committees on October 3, two members suggested looking into alternatives to the measures, including amending by-laws so that officials could issue larger fines.

Annette Baker, from the Friends of Alexandra Palace, said the “awful barricades” meant there was “no feeling of ‘welcome’ at the palace”. 

Responding to the comments, Ms Stewart said: “All of what we have seen are temporary measures fighting something on a temporary basis. At some point, we will be able to take stock, review and come up with a more permanent solution. We haven’t had the time or resource to do that yet. Part of the solution will be rewriting the by-laws.”

She added: “I don’t have a timescale for you at the moment. It is not my top priority. Financial survival of the trust is my top priority, and recovering from Covid. It is part of our financial recovery from Covid not to have to support enforcement officers if we don’t have to.”

When road and parking bay closures were announced last May, she revealed they would cost the trust “in excess of £60,000”.

Enfield Independent: Parkland at Alexandra Palace

During Monday’s meeting, Ms Stewart also addressed concerns over lighting in Alexandra Palace Park. Her report to the committee revealed the trust had been “working through the backlog of faulty lights in the parkland” and is “working on a lighting network plan”.

She said the trust continued to have a problem with two areas of the park, and the solution was “not as simple as changing a lightbulb”. 

She added: “We have had quotes for fixing the infrastructure to support the lighting. We don’t have the budget to fix them at this point in time, but what we do have is the budget to test solar lighting at those locations. We expect, at some point in November, to be able to install that and hopefully come up with a more long-term solution, using solar for the rest of the park lighting.”

Elin Weston, a Labour councillor in Haringey, said two women walking back from the theatre to Muswell Hill had recently told her how dark it was and said they were asked by another woman if she could walk home with them because she felt unsafe.

Cllr Weston suggested lighting should be made a priority at the Alexandra Palace and Park Board, which is responsible for maintenance.

Ms Stewart said there was a balance to be struck between lighting and nature conservation. She added: “We are going to light more routes. It is about strategically lit routes in a parkland setting, and it is about safety for everybody.”