Brixton Playground scheme proposes permanent pedestrianisation of central Brixton

[Jimbeau]

The problem is that, because of BID's privileged connections with the council, their ideas can gain currency behind closed doors and once they are presented for opinion it will be a typical Lambeth exercise of "managing residents and objections" rather than a consult.

We're in danger of violently agreeing with each other. This is exactly the point I've been making throughout this thread.

Where I differ from some posters here is that I don't believe it's inevitable as even a temporary measure. If the individuals pushing this along beneath the banner of the BID really wanted to make it happen by stealth, they'd have no need to publish a 'Vision' at all - they could just get on with it via the back channels.

I just think they're hopelessly naive and so out of touch with any of the subtleties or collateral impacts that they can't countenance the possibility that there might be folk who don't think this is all a thoroughly wonderful idea.

 

[editor]

The Brixton Playground idea is exactly that - an idea and nothing more. The BID have put it out there to initiate a conversation at a time when they can see a route to a quick win. And in getting debate going alone, it seems to be working.

I don't think they're very pleased with the way the debate has gone, to be honest. I have a feeling Buzz won't be invited back to some particular venues.

Despite Squire & Partners lending an extra glossy sheen of respectability to these proposals, it still comes over as entirely self serving to the businesses, with the input and opinions from the local community not needed or wanted.

And the name Brixton Playground is a howler. Who wants their neighbourhood turned into a 'playground' for tourists and pissheads?

 

[Rushy]

We're in danger of violently agreeing with each other.

This must be avoided at all costs.

 

[Gramsci]

This is Old Compton street in Soho.

The scheme covers Greek street as well.

The Soho scheme is not all day. What I'm not clear on is how streets will be cleared on busy days like Saturday night. It was rammed last weekend. I don't think people are just going to go because sign says to 11pm

 

[Gramsci]

Found this Lambeth Labour tweet from a few years back.

Quotes the head of Brixton BID supporting the Lambeth Labour party at election time.

Of interest is how the BIDs were started by the Labour Council and that Michael Smith sees Brixton BID as managing the Brixton area.

Its an extension of the New Labour project into local area management.

So the Brixton Playground idea is consistent with that project. Putting business in control of neighborhoods who are sympathetic to the New Labour Council.

 

[editor]

The more I think about it, the more it appears like an opportunistic land grab under the cover of the coronavirus crisis.

I don't blame the people concerned trying to push it through, though - after all, business people generally put their business first and the (non customer) community second - and times are absolutely going to be hard in the coming months. But a financially backed body trying to use their undemocratic influence with the council - backed by the heavyweight production team at Squire - to foist this on a community that doesn't want to live in a fucking 'playground' for tourists is taking the piss.

It's clear that a lot of locals don't want this - certainly not without proper consultation that addresses issues like the elderly being able to get a bus where it suits them - and I don't think BID's belligerent response is helping much either.

 

[Rushy]

I hadn't noticed that Chair of BID Elly Foster earlier tweeted that if people didn't like the working name Playground, it could be changed.

Seriously?

 

[Rushy]

She also says that with 25yr business experience she knows that they need to adapt and seems to suggest that spilling out into the street is the answer. Well, I honestly sympathise. But adapting means more than everyone accommodating the hospitality sector's desire to do the same old thing outside, especially when they couldn't even control the nuisance indoors. BID has squandered the past few years opportunity to demonstrate that they understand and respect local residents with whom they share space. They have paid nothing but lip service to mitigation of the nuisance they attract. Now is an opportunity for them to conjure up something genuinely more mature and more cohesive if they want the consent of locals. HINT: it is not a pisshead's Playground .

 

[editor]

I get the feeling Brixton Buzz is now marked down as the 'enemy' of Brixton BID - but seeing as we've never been sent any of their press releases for years, perhaps they're only interested in dealing with uncritical outlets.

The funny thing is that we've published three articles about this proposal, only one of which was critical.

The first was an opinion piece totally in favour of the scheme, written by a long-term BID member, the second was a straightforward unedited report that reproduced BID's own press release in full, and the third was a critical 'opinion' piece from a resident (Rushy) which also referenced the many local objections received from the first two articles.

If they were genuinely looking for feedback about their scheme, I would have thought that the BID would be grateful for the expanded coverage, and for the opportunity to hear the concerns and criticisms being aired.

 

[Gramsci]

She also says that with 25yr business experience she knows that they need to adapt and seems to suggest that spilling out into the street is the answer. Well, I honestly sympathise. But adapting means more than everyone accommodating the hospitality sector's desire to do the same old thing outside, especially when they couldn't even control the nuisance indoors. BID has squandered the past few years opportunity to demonstrate that they understand and respect local residents with whom they share space. They have paid nothing but lip service to mitigation of the nuisance they attract. Now is an opportunity for them to conjure up something genuinely more mature and more cohesive if they want the consent of locals. HINT: it is not a pisshead's Playground .

I remember having a disagreement with Cllr Donatus about this.

I said the late night Council Noise Team should be brought back - it had been cut by the Council. As only complaints independently verified by officer carried any weight. He insisited that any nuisance could be dealt with through Brixton BID working together with residents.

I did say that the BID represents the very business that cause nuisance. The Council should be supporting residents. Cllr Donatus wasnt having it. As a loyalist Labour Cllr he see BID as great for managing central Brixton.

This is the problem imo the Labour Cllrs love Brixton BID. They created it. Michael Smith , Elly Foster have been given impression by this Labour Council that they run central Brixton. In the end I dont blame them for this playground plan. I blame some of the longstanding Cllrs like Donatus for setting this up and supporting the BID idea. Even when residents ( the people who vote for them) complain

 

[Gramsci]

Been looking at Elly Foster tweets. They are priceless.

Here is one:



So the promotion of the Brixton Playground was not aimed at finding out what residents think. It was aimed at the "decision makers".

 

[Gramsci]

This makes me laugh:



This shows its all about saving her business.

So she adds stuff about "equality of access". Should that not have been part of this Brixton Playground idea from the start?

 

[wayward bob]

Where I differ from some posters here is that I don't believe it's inevitable as even a temporary measure. If the individuals pushing this along beneath the banner of the BID really wanted to make it happen by stealth, they'd have no need to publish a 'Vision' at all - they could just get on with it via the back channels...

just ftr, this happens anyway.

<steps back>

 

[Vakertvs]

I think pedestrianisation of some of Coldharbour Lane and Atlantic road is a great idea... But it's what happens to the area once that happens that's important... Its important to nurture what's already in Brixton and to make sure we don't end up with a plastic and unauthentic corporate chracature otherwise we may aswell just move to Clapham or Milton Keynes...

What is important is that we prevent someone like you invading Brixton as it suits you for the commute and having the audacity to think you should have some say in the make up of Brixton. We should make sure that we don’t end up with plastic pricks like you that couldn’t walk round the real parts of central, west - wherever in Brixton and ruin the authenticity of Brixton. Fuck off back to the village you come from. You have no say in how Brixton should be. It is amazing that you have the arrogance to suggest you have the right to change a place you haven’t even grown up in.

 

[Vakertvs]

As someone who's generally strongly in favour of pedestrianisation and restricting motor traffic:

This appears to have been put together by people who haven't been paying the slightest bit of attention to all the discussions about gentrification that have been going on in Brixton for the past few years.

The name 'brixton playground' is terrible. I'm baffled how someone with the slightest bit of awareness could have thought that was a good idea.

The proposals have zero detail on the difficult bits of how you do something like this, like what happens to bus routes.

The whole thing is amateurish, insensitive to concerns of local people and I'd worry that it will generate more opposition than support for the general principle of reducing traffic in central brixton.

Hope that answers your question.

Central Brixton? Who labels it that apart from the people that have gentrified the place? You didn’t grow up in Brixton, I guess? So you are part of the gentry? How many people on this forum actually grew up in Brixton?????

 

[Vakertvs]

Because the street is generally quiet at night, there are no houses directly overlooking one side of the road (the Barrier Block is set a fair way back) and there is a long ongoing tradition of anti social behaviour, fights, shootings and general unpleasantness along that strip. I know many people who feel unsafe walking along that strip at night because of the amount of drunk people milling around.

There are regular street parties held in two areas that go on until the very early hours (not normally such a problem for me) but there's almost always violence and bottle throwing at the end. If the whole strip became pedestrianised I think it would just encourage more people to party here.

I'm normally 100% for pedestrianisation - I hate car culture - but I don't think it would be of a net benefit here and I'm not sure what the point would be as there's very little commercial activity here.

The estate is commonly known as ‘Somerleyton’. Unfortunately it can’t just be eradicated for a blogger from Wales. The unwelcoming environment has always been there long before you decided to land in the hip and trendy place that is Brixton. Reign in the arrogance and the expectation you have to assume by living in the area the area will automatically change and accommodate your expectations. We will try to get rid of the eyesore of a petrol garage in the meantime. You pompous prick. We can always meet up on the south easterly quarters of the estate to discuss this. Now fuck off back to Wales

 

[editor]

The estate is commonly known as ‘Somerleyton’. Unfortunately it can’t just be eradicated for a blogger from Wales. The unwelcoming environment has always been there long before you decided to land in the hip and trendy place that is Brixton. Reign in the arrogance and the expectation you have to assume by living in the area the area will automatically change and accommodate your expectations. We will try to get rid of the eyesore of a petrol garage in the meantime. You pompous prick. We can always meet up on the south easterly quarters of the estate to discuss this. Now fuck off back to Wales

Moorlands Estate, actually.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Oh Jesus

Let me just gather all my facepalms

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Also I've never heard of the estate being referred to as somerleyton. I've heard of people using somerleyton as a location but only really to apply to that stretch of road and the area immediately around it. (I've just always thought of it as the barrier block estate)

Also although I don't use the term central brixton that much I do kinda think it in my head as being sorta the stretch from about the town hall/ritzy down to approximately the academy/police station.
Brixton hill is slightly separate and you kinda have an outer brixton that merges into clapham, streatham, oval, camberwell, loughborough junction, and herne hill.

 

[David Clapson]

I used to live in the Guinness Trust estate - does anyone call that Somerleyton?

 

[Vakertvs]

Moorlands Estate, actually.

Really you prick? You can only appeal to the dickheads like you. Go back home now. Your role as a digital wanker is over. Blog about Cardiff now. I wouldn’t have the cheek to cast such opinion on a place I know nothing about; you however are the oracle of Brixton, Streatham etc. Get the fuck out of here before I meet you with a few people from Somerleyton.

 

[krtek a houby]

Really you prick? You can only appeal to the dickheads like you. Go back home now. Your role as a digital wanker is over. Blog about Cardiff now. I wouldn’t have the cheek to cast such opinion on a place I know nothing about; you however are the oracle of Brixton, Streatham etc. Get the fuck out of here before I meet you with a few people from Somerleyton.

LOL, who did you used to be?

 

[Vakertvs]

Really you prick? You can only appeal to the dickheads like you. Go back home now. Your role as a digital wanker is over. Blog about Cardiff now. I wouldn’t have the cheek to cast such opinion on a place I know nothing about; you however are the oracle of Brixton, Streatham etc. Get the fuck out of here before I meet you with a few people from Somerleyton.

Dickhead. Blog about us. How dare you land in Brixton and start to talk about changing it. Who do you think you are? I wouldn’t have the cheek to try and blog about Cardiff or anywhere in Wales even if I lived there for a few years. You know nothing. You appeal to the people who have settled here in the last few years as it is trendy and hip. Do not start to pretend that just because you create a blog on the history of Brixton that you know anything about the place. You don’t. The Internet doesn’t make you authentic. And stop with your Barrier Block. You know nothing about Brixton to look down on it and pursue favour with your fellow gentry.

 

[Vakertvs]

LOL, who did you used to be?

Someone that grew up in Brixton not Wales

 

[krtek a houby]

Arguing with itself, now

 

[krtek a houby]

Someone that grew up in Brixton not Wales

And what makes you anymore "authentic" than anyone else?

 

[Vakertvs]

Someone that grew up in Brixton not Wales
[/QUOTE

I used to live in the Guinness Trust estate - does anyone call that Somerleyton?

No, it is across the road

 

[Vakertvs]

And what makes you anymore "authentic" than anyone else?

I lived there. Pretty authentic

 

[Vakertvs]

I used to live in the Guinness Trust estate - does anyone call that Somerleyton?

I used to live in the Guinness Trust estate - does anyone call that Somerleyton?

No. Because that is Guinness Trust

 

[Vakertvs]

Also I've never heard of the estate being referred to as somerleyton. I've heard of people using somerleyton as a location but only really to apply to that stretch of road and the area immediately around it. (I've just always thought of it as the barrier block estate)

Also although I don't use the term central brixton that much I do kinda think it in my head as being sorta the stretch from about the town hall/ritzy down to approximately the academy/police station.
Brixton hill is slightly separate and you kinda have an outer brixton that merges into clapham, streatham, oval, camberwell, loughborough junction, and herne hill.

Well, take a walk round the estate and ask what they call the estate? What school did you go to in Brixton or Clapham or Camberwell etc? You know it so well?