The Story So Far...

Residents received a letter from Hackney Homes last week with a planning proposal seeking permission to install security gates and fences on Lockner Estate.

The plans of the proposed gates/fences can be seen here:

www.hackney.gov.uk/planning-applications enter application number 2010/1577

Community consultation allows adjoining or nearby property owners and others the opportunity to consider the impacts of the proposal and provide comments before a decision is made. These comments should be made in writing either by letter, using the form residents have received in the post or on-line via the link (which has only been working intermittently) by 18th August 2010. However signs on lamp posts around the estate advise that the deadline is 21 days from the 9th August (30th August 2010).

Concerns held by residents are summarised below:

• Access to the estate will be restricted, which is particularly concerning for the elderly and disabled.
• The estate will look 'frightening' and prison like. Lockner was designed to be an open estate.
• There is a problem with youths hanging around stairways on Lockner, eating, drinking alcohol, littering and smoking weed. Residents find this intimidating. Will the gates help? Or should we work together to find a different solution?
•  Residents from gated estates, London Fields and Kingsgate, have shared their experiences of living within a gated estate. Overall they have advised that the gates simply have not worked to enhance their security.

1. People loiter outside the security doors and follow people in, which can be intimidating to challenge.
2. The security doors are often forced open and broken, resulting in a stream of constant maintenance jobs.
3. To gain access to the estate 'outsiders' buzz any door numbers incessantly at all hours until someone gives into the noise and disturbance and buzzes the door open. The buzzing can not be silenced from within your home.

Timeline - History of Hackney Homes proposals for the gates:

Late 2008 - initial correspondence from LB Hackney indicating they plan to install gates on the estate.They issue a 'consultation' letter which does not clearly outline the proposed scheme (e.g. no illustrations, maps, detailed description of plans), and heavily sells the benefits of gates - they got 74 responses of which 2/3 were in favour (there are ~200 flats on the estate), so they take this as a mandate to proceed. TRA objects and requests clarification from LB Hackney of what's going on. Carl Levoir attends and says that gates will go ahead regardless as it's a council and Mayor's priority.

2009 - TRA continues to object to gates in general and to lack of consultation. Jimmy Roche takes over the project from Carl. Series of meetings between residents and Jimmy/contractors to discuss their proposals; Jimmy says that they need to get to a reasonable proposed scheme which will get outline planning approval before they can do a 'proper' consultation with residents, so we go into more detailed discussion about specific issues with the initial proposal. He agrees that they will consult residents on any scheme, but continues with line that ultimately even if residents are not in favour the scheme could go ahead if Hackney Homes or LB Hackney want to because it's 'Mayor's Priority'. In parallel TRA continues to discuss the issue with our councillors (mainly Chris McShane who's since left, but also Rob Chapman) to try and push for more relevant anti-security/ASB measures rather than gates (although we don't have serious ASB issues, it would definitely be possible to improve the environment and sense of safety with a small investment) and to try and ensure that there is a proper consultation on any plans.

Feb 2010 - letters from Charlotte Graves & Martin Weaver (see below - click on them to make them bigger) confirming that due to budget constraints and local opposition scheme will not go ahead in 2010/11, and that proper consultation would take place before any future work on this scheme.

July 2010 - where we are today!