London parks are under threat from local councils desperate for land to develop into privately-owned academies.
In Hackney, which made billions from regeneration the past 10 years, the Council is steadily building on publicly-owned parkland in a series of emergency education measures. But schools are no longer simply community assets – through a combination of PFI and the Academy system, schools have become profitable enterprises.
Haggerston Park is a case study that will culminate when a new Mayor is elected September 15th. The Council built four separate large school facilities in the same park over the last ten years. Locals want to prevent another section of the park being taken from public use when the decision comes before the planning committee in September.
At stake in Haggerston Park is a local community, which is about to be dispersed because the council wants to build the four story “temporary” school opposite a listed building, in a newly designated Conservation Area, on what is also registered parkland classified as a protected site of Special Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC).
The Council is unable to guarantee when or how the proposed temporary school site will be returned to parkland.
Georgia Bergers, head of Haggerston Park Community Orchard, said: “This is the opportunity for the new Mayor of Hackney to make a break with the old policies and allow this yard to remain a site for healthy and active community groups including Hackney BMX and The Haggerston Orchard food growers”
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
