February 9th 2024
Children’s playground massacre: Parks in London to be replaced by social homes
Southwalk council have began ripping out communal spaces and playgrounds to make room for new homes, however the spots have been left boarded up due to insignificant funds.
Last August the local authority began digging up parts of Bells Gardens and Lindley estates ready to build new homes in January, although all that remains of the spaces is a small pitch surrounded by hoardings.
Experts have warned that the boarded-up area, which locals have described to The Guardian as an ‘abomination’, mirrors the dire state of social housing across the entire capital city and that better laws need to be in place to protect children’s play areas.
Because the majority of playparks have been dug up in this specific area, families in South London have claimed that their young ones have stopped playing outside on weekends and once they have finished school.
Commenting on the news, Helen Dennis, a cabinet member and councillor for new homes and development, said that the local authority had been hit by mounting costs and was ‘extremely disappointed’ when they had to stop the works to build more social homes.
Cllr Dennis said: ‘Increased inflation, significantly higher building costs and interest rates following the government’s mini-budget a year ago have meant that councils across the country have had to change plans.
‘The residents of Bells Gardens worked so passionately with us to plan what was to happen on the estate. It’s incredibly disappointing. We will provide a playground and we are working as quickly as possible to get things moving again.’
When the plans to construct 600 new homes were submitted, various locals protested against them. In London, the mayor has said that there should be around 10 sq metres per child but pressure for denser builds means developers do not always stick to this standard.
Currently the problem of protecting children’s play areas is at the forefront of an inquiry by the committee that scrutinises the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and is gathering evidence from play experts, planners, and psychologists.
The new properties were set to be built as part of a process known as ‘infill building’ – the insertion of additional housing units into an already-approved subdivision or neighbourhood.
Recent statistics have shown that in London one in 23 children are homeless and Southwalk alone has 15,000 people on its housing waiting list. Some people who are currently waiting for an affordable home are stuck in bed and breakfasts’.
Image: Power Lai
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