Notes on a green patch
Andrew Wilson, 3rd April 2015
Perhaps Albert Square isn’t the best example, given the notoriously miserable nature of EastEnders, but it is difficult to imagine this particularly long serving TV fiction running for over 30 years without it. The Square, located within the fictional London borough of Walford, but based upon the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, is a fenced off green space, consisting of park benches and trees. It is where the residents run away to escape home, school or the workplace, and where they bump into and engage one another. Acting as the central point for communal interaction within the everyday lives of Walford’s fictional residents, Albert Square is also surrounded by other familiar hubs of social engagement (The Queen Vic, Kathy’s Café, etc.). Try to imagine a TV soap without such meeting points and you’d quickly end up with a cast of individuals sat at home, alone - most likely depressed – and, as Toby mentioned, all social gathering would be forced to develop around the Post Box, like they used to in Brookside.
The Green Patch outside of our home in the Garnets, South Leeds, consists of three long strips of land left vacant since the demolition of 76 occupied council homes some years ago. Once demolished the basements of the homes were filled with resultant rubble and covered with a very thin layer of top soil and grass seed which now offers the illusion of Community Park or Village Green. Leeds City Council have recently proposed plans to re-develop this land for 25 new council homes. Since we moved into the area, just a few months back, we have observed that this vacant hole, disguised as green space, was overgrown with weeds, covered with all manner of litter, from large smashed sheets of glass to the odd abandoned dis-figured child’s toy. Despite the vast openness and much appreciated light and space this green patch offered, it’s fair to say it also acted as a toilet facility for neighbouring dogs (and their owners) resulting in a daily eye-sore, albeit a curious one, for all those who passed.
When Toby wrote an article published within, local community newspaper, South Leeds Life outlining our desire to clean-up this ‘green’ space it was met with varied comments of discontent. Brian, a resident of the Garnets posted in response ‘Waste of time … shouldn’t the Council be doing this?’ Paul presented a dichotic approach by contrasting ‘green space v family homes’ as if there were simply no option but one or the other. Refusing to acknowledge or imagine a compromise where a combination of the two could be accommodated within the plans. Paul reluctantly concluded, from his winner takes all scenario, that he has to side with the council because ‘not having a home has a greater mental and physical impact on someone’s health than not having a green space’.
Less than a few minutes after it had arrived residents began bringing out old furniture, sideboards, electric’s and garden waste to be thrown in the skip. As Toby and I began the clean-up weekend by litter picking, igniting mass nostalgia for secondary school rituals of regular detention duty, Angela, who lives a few doors down came and introduced herself - ‘I have wanted to tidy this space up for a long time but felt foolish alone’. We were then joined by Simon who also lives within the area – ‘I often pick litter up around here, always have done wherever I’ve been, but when you do so, people look at you as though you’re strange. To come out and do it together cuts through all of that’. Throughout the day a diverse range of individuals came out and supported the clean-up. Most were residents living within the area or neighbouring communities plus 1 or 2 from further afield.
We have heard numerous opinions and often conflicting stories about the exact details regarding the green space, yet from all of these conversations each and every one of them resulted with at least one alternative use, from its current state, and most proposed a combination of both green space and social housing. Unlike how Paul decided to view the development as a decision between ‘social housing or green space’ the majority of the residents we have spoken to acknowledge the need for housing but are disappointed with the short-sightedness of the development plans presented by Leeds City Council (which did not include a community green space).
Prior to Clean up event, based on the many conversations that we’d had with our neighbours, I took the liberty to redraw the architects development drawings provided by Leeds City Council to see if it was possible to include both the 25 new homes, incl. private gardens, private driveways, etc., as well as a central space which could host a community garden and playground for children. We presented 3 slightly differing plans to our neighbours here over the weekend and they were met with supportive optimism. We have since shared them with Leeds Council City Development, Elected Councillors for the City and Hunslet ward and Member of Parliament for Leeds Central Hilary Benn. At the time of writing we are still awaiting for a response.
As the sun went down over the Garnets and we all began to Marvel at the fruits of our labour local resident and Charity worker Ed Carlisle passionately ignited a bonfire providing a social hub for the evening. Much to the amusement of the youngsters who earlier pushed wheelbarrows of waste to from the skip, now happily chased each other with flames on sticks. As the night rolled on we, a newly formed collective rabble of neighbours, sat on old disregarded sofas from the neighbourhood (which the council kindly took away the next day) and cheerfully discussed an all manner of subjects; the possible futures for the green space (both short and long term), limited access to local playgrounds, life in Ghana, busy roads, teaching in Japan to the positive and negative attributes of Polish Lager.
One of the key characteristics of the Queen Victoria (according to its Wikipedia page) is the view that it provides, and how often, especially throughout dramatic storylines, the residents are known to look out over Albert Square. As I set myself down to bed after the clean-up weekend I too look out over the vacant plot, disguised as a green patch, and feel all the better for the web, however fragile, of community that has been nurtured over the previous two days.