No application in Haringey to celebrate the Royal wedding

ROYAL wedding fever seems to have bypassed north London - with not a single street party booked in Haringey and only three applications received in Camden.

Haringey Council have now extended the deadline for holding a street party on the wedding day of Prince William and Kate Middleton from March 4 - eight weeks prior to the April 29 wedding - to April 4 “so as not to disappoint late comers” said a spokeswoman. It costs �80 to hold a party in a small residential street.

Camden royalists have until April 1 to apply to hold their parties, which will cost �21.

Neighbouring borough Barnet have cut red tape by offering to cover the insurance costs of street parties, meaning small street parties will be free aside from extra license charges like a paid bar. There, 18 streets have expressed an interest in holding a street party.

In Westminster, where fees differ depending on the party’s size, there are 11 confirmed and two in the pipeline.

Peter Thompson is organising the Hillfield Park May Day street party in Muswell Hill on the Sunday after the wedding, instead of opting for Friday’s nuptials, but said: “We rejoice for couple and are grateful for the opportunity of having some fun together and using the public holiday for a community occasion - we wish them very well for their wedding.”

The party will not follow a Royal Wedding theme though, instead the community will enjoy “Medieval May Day revels” such as the Maypole, crowning the Queen, feasting - and “a showdown between the Royalists and the Republicans”.

Haringey’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods Cllr Nilgun Canver, said: “We have kept the cost of holding street parties low because we are aware that residents may well want to celebrate the royal wedding. Some residents already hold annual street parties and we are happy to support events like these as they are great fun and help strengthen our communities, a factor which brings benefits for all.”

Camden’s Mayor Cllr Jonathan Simpson, said the council was expecting more applications. “It’s great to see so many of our residents coming together to celebrate with their local community,” he said. “We have seen plans for a number of events and will be expecting many more over the coming weeks.”

For more information on holding a street party in Camden email Arts.tourism@camden.gov.uk or call 0207 974 1647. In Haringey go to www.haringey.gov.uk/closures_and_diversions.