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Little space for play
• THE uprising of mothers on the Wenlake estate, in Old Street, over what they saw as a poorly planned playground was despite it being involved in an academic regeneration research project.
Matthew Humphreys, who lives on the estate, has a research project in progress, “Governance and good practice in regeneration projects and the impact of local decision-making”. He is chairman of EC1 New Deal regeneration body.
Mothers and children have slammed the new garden and playground, part of £406,000 spent rejuvenating the estate by EC1 New Deal.
The garden and playground would have been transformed if the seven cars next to them, taking up so much space, had been removed. Car park, garden and playground are in the one courtyard, a case of a quart squeezed into a pint pot.
Although there are five pieces of playground equipment, much of the Wenlake garden and playground is ribbed wood decking, with seating, as part of making the limited space for people of all ages. But kids like to run around. Ribbed wood decking is not friendly to small, soft, growing feet.
Local decision-making did not grapple with the estate’s poor space use. A total of 31 car spaces are only 24 per cent of the estate’s 127 flats, but their spaces, turning areas and roads take up the great majority of the open space. There is in fact very little space for children to play at all in pleasant surroundings.
The Wenlake estate disquiet is a practical regeneration lesson for Dr Humphreys, although by living as part of his research project the mothers and children might think he could have done better.
LEO CHAPMAN
Dufferin Street, EC1
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