Battersea Adventure Playground
This has been discussed before but I received this letter today -
WANDSWORTH'S CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS DEMOLISH MUCH LOVED ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND After 5 am this morning about 20 bailiffs dragged from their tents the members of the Occupy community who have been keeping the bulldozers out of Battersea Park Adventure Playground by occupying it since January 5th. As I write a few protesters remain under siege in the playground's clubroom. We call on all supporters of the playground to come to the park to protest at the Council's wanton destruction of a facility that has helped generations of local teenagers to grow up in a stimulating and safe environment. Please also contact Councillor Tracey, chair of Children's Services, and express your disgust at this destruction which ignores the massive local support for the playground. The Wandsworth Against Cuts petition has approaching 6,000 signatories but Councillor Tracey argues that it is not the Council's responsibility to cater for young people. We call on all Wandsworth residents to join our campaigns against this, and every cut, in provision for our children. Norman MacLeanwww.wandsworthagainstcuts.co.uk07818066394
WANDSWORTH'S CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS DEMOLISH MUCH LOVED ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND After 5 am this morning about 20 bailiffs dragged from their tents the members of the Occupy community who have been keeping the bulldozers out of Battersea Park Adventure Playground by occupying it since January 5th. As I write a few protesters remain under siege in the playground's clubroom. We call on all supporters of the playground to come to the park to protest at the Council's wanton destruction of a facility that has helped generations of local teenagers to grow up in a stimulating and safe environment. Please also contact Councillor Tracey, chair of Children's Services, and express your disgust at this destruction which ignores the massive local support for the playground. The Wandsworth Against Cuts petition has approaching 6,000 signatories but Councillor Tracey argues that it is not the Council's responsibility to cater for young people. We call on all Wandsworth residents to join our campaigns against this, and every cut, in provision for our children. Norman MacLeanwww.wandsworthagainstcuts.co.uk07818066394
Comments
Best - Ian
The structures which the Council want to install are unsuitable for children over the age of 10. The petition to save staffed adventure playgrounds has risen to nearly 6000. Over 80% of parents and carers in the Council's own survey did not want the change to take place.
The Council underspent its own budget both on capital and revenue in 2011/12. Miraculously they claim that, first they had to save £55 million, then it went up to £70 million and more recently Cllr Govindia says they now have to save £80 million. However, no-one seems prepared to tell me why - and, believe me, I have repeatedly asked!
Now that the playground squatters have gone, the council can begin to install the £200,000 worth of new play equipment that is being invested in the adventure playground. The aim is to reopen it for the start of the school Easter holiday.
The new play equipment was actually chosen by young people. Children at local schools and young visitors to the playground were asked last year what play equipment they preferred and the most popular choices are now being introduced.
These include rope swings, chain ladders, aerial walkways, tube slides, scramble nets, zip wires and fireman’s poles.
The attached photographs show what type of equipment is now being installed. Most people who have actually been to the playground would agree that it is not significantly different to what is currently there.
The presence of the squatters was preventing this improvement work from being carried out. Their occupation has put the work schedule back by nearly two weeks, posing a risk that the playground will not reopen on time. The delays they have caused have also left taxpayers with a £30,000 bill, which includes the costs of the legal action and also for the policing of this unlawful occupation.
These unforeseen costs will have to be met from existing budgets within the council’s children’s services department and could have a knock-on effect on other services to young people in the area.
When it does reopen, the playground will have longer opening hours than was previously possible. Instead of being available for just a few hours each day after school, children will be able to go there at all times Battersea Park is open, from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.
The new equipment has been designed to be enjoyed by young people of all ages, but the vast majority of children who attend the playground are actually under 12. Surveys conducted over a six month period last spring and summer showed that 92 per cent of visitors were under 12. Of these the vast majority - 54 per cent - were aged under eight. Hardly any teenagers or older children go there.
The squatters who were yesterday (Wednesday) evicted from their illegal camp at Battersea Park’s adventure playground have left behind a squalid and disgusting mess.
They have vandalised furniture and ransacked the single storey play building within the playground site.
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/11652/squatters_trash_playground_building
I shall look into the back story of this but please don't think your posts are accepted as the whole truth.
This is a forum for members of the community, not for the Council to push your own propaganda position in respect of local matters.
I don't know anything about the details of what happened here but I do think it's a bit unfair to label the council's messages as "propaganda" unless you do the same for everyone else's! WBC have just as much right to put their point of view as the rest of us, don't they?
One of the protestors was hiding in the attic when the Bailiffs broke into the playground hut. They broke the window, causing criminal damage. You can also hear them causing damage inside the hut.
The presence of the squatters was preventing this improvement work from being carried out. Their occupation has put the work schedule back by nearly two weeks, posing a risk that the playground will not reopen on time. The delays they have caused have also left taxpayers with a £30,000 bill, which includes the costs of the legal action and also for the policing of this unlawful occupation. These unforeseen costs will have to be met from existing budgets within the council’s children’s services department and could have a knock-on effect on other services to young people in the area.
In a survey by Wandsworth Council, 86.6% of parents and carers wanted the Adventure playground to remain an Adventure playground age up to 16 years old, not a saccharine version of adventurous play for up to age 11 that will become boring.
They wanted to charge for access, which means that those who cannot afford the £2.50 entry would be left out. The Council decided to close it instead costing the taxpayer £200,000.
There were volunteers who wanted to make a bike ramp for teens, but were over ruled by the council.
The playground could have had a donation box like various museums and with 2000 to 3000 visitors during the summer months, receive the necessary funds to keep open.
The Council promised that the playground staff will be absorbed and will continue working. They were all dismissed. They now promise to keep the One o'clock club staff members employed. I agree with them when they don't trust the Council regarding the safety of their jobs. 5 clubs face closure by Wandsworth Council.
Remember that Wandsworth has the lowest Council Tax in the country. They do like increasing Council Rents and in a borough composed 60% of flats, making it harder for young families to have access to facilities for their children.
Wandsworth Council comes across like a bully who cannot get their way and ends up ruining the fun for everyone.
Their (it's?) contribution is more of an "official" position, which, because of their powerful position and resources, is already well represented all over the place.
Because they don't speak as a collection of individuals it is very difficult to join in a discussion with them with any hope of changing their point of view.
"Propaganda" means telling a story, usually bending the truth a little to convince the rest of us that what the powers that be do/did was right so I think WBC's presentation of the facts to the press does tend towards that.
Most people on here are open minded and willing to listen and learn.
I don't think that's why WBC are posting here.
OMG I didn't realise I was so angry until I started writing!
I have a vision of a meeting in the Town Hall with some of our lustrous councillors and senior police deciding how they could discredit those who believe that the bulldozing of an adventure playground is wrong. (The point is that the structures were built up over years by staff and young people - not bought out of catalogue and characterless). Do they really think members of the public are stupid?
http://occupylondon.org.uk/archives/24795
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cwrLsr3GzQ
Please respond.
Personally I think they're quite brave participating like this in open conversations with normal residents, on a site they have no control over. They get their fair share of flack of course, but there have been some very positive conversations too.
How would you like them to behave differently, and can you honestly say that those differences could not equally apply to a lot of other users posting on the site as individuals?
For several years I belonged to and lived with a far left group like certain members of Occupy (this is going back 20+ years ago so I'm showing my age!) so I have no doubt that they did trash and did enjoy trashing the place and were more attracted to the thrill of illegal behaviour than the future of the playground. I have to take Occupy's statement with a large dose of salt ... They are doing the Council a favour by leaving the place in such a mess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cwrLsr3GzQ
Wandsworth defending themselves pretty much constituted copy and pasting from their website. It takes a few minutes.
It is worth noting the trigger words they used. I can presume someone was paid handsomely for crafting the original statement. Only thing missing were the words "Strivers" and "Scroungers".
This week we lose playgrounds.
This weekend, people protesting against the closure of Lewisham A&E.
Next month the FireBrigade are losing Fire stations and redundancies.
The month after the police are losing their stations and more redundancies.
Cameron's Big Society, coming your way.
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/11652/squatters_trash_playground_building
Have a look yourselves and pay close attention to the language that is used: 'squalid', 'vandalised', 'obscene', 'damage','Trashing a children's play building is pretty disgusting behaviour'...when referring to the squatters and : 'extra burden', 'hard pressed budgets', 'improve and maintain', and "recovering' while refereeing to the council actions.You don't need to be an academic specialising in critical analysis to see what is really going on here...this is not a piece of objective, unbiased writing, but rather words put cleverly together to instigate a desired reaction by the public.
All you seem to do is oppose anything Wandsworth Council say and do.
Am shocked that this day in age these people think its acceptable to protest in this uncivilised way.
Not only is it quite clear that we are listening to the squatters trashing the place (having first turned the lights on just to get a picture of a previously clean room) but you can hear discussions about pulling down furniture.
Furthermore it's obviously the squatters breaking all the windows. Mobile phones don't have particularly good long range microphones (since they're designed mostly to pick up the person talking into them and not background noise) - you can judge this based on the fact that when someone other than the videographer speaks it's a bit distant and muffled. But then the sound of glass breaking is crisp, loud and clear - the phone is obviously in the same room and near to the windows.
Utterly disgusting behaviour by utterly disgusting people - and a hilariously third rate attempt to produce footage supporting their cause. If you're looking for "propaganda" - there it is on youtube!
Because it's utterly clear from the audio that the person holding the camera is part of the group who are doing all the "trashing"!
I very much hope this video can be used as evidence to support charges of criminal damage against these idiots.
As far as I know, the occupier did not trash the place - they were very respectful. The last bit of the video was taken from a cupboard. The moving of the filing cabinet quite clearly was in response to the batons and, subsequently, the breaking of windows. At least 3 posters on this site are predictably defending an indefensible Council position.
I spent some time at Battersea Park and acted as an intermediary between the Parks Police and the occupiers. For this, I am told that I am an unsuitable person. Why is upholding the law wrong?
Why could the Council not negotiate with the various organisations who wanted to raise funds to maintain the staffed adventurous playground? Why have the Council decided to damage reputations, rather than behave in a sensible, moral manner?
Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a considerable amount of time talking to the met and the parks police on very friendly terms. I am disappointed that some of them have behaved quite unreasonably and, in my view, irresponsibly - and that is from my personal observation. I do feel sorry for some who clearly did not like the orders they were given but felt they had to carry them out.
I don't think it's evidence at all and retain a healthy (or is it cynical) mistrust of all those involved.
Comments are closed. Why not start a new conversation?