Open Garden Estates 18-19th June 2016

[Toby]

Dear Golden Lane Estate

I am not a resident here but an architecture student - I hope you don't mind my joining and posting hereby. I tried to contact you / GLERA through the email address [e-mail] which I was given when I phoned the estate office but I'm not sure the message will have gotten through:

I'm helping to organise an event called Open Garden Estates coming up in a few weeks across London - 18th-19th June

http://opengardenestates.com/

Open Garden Estates is an opportunity for residents to open up their estate’s green areas, communal spaces and private gardens to the public, and help change the widely held but inaccurate perception of council estates as ‘concrete jungles’. Walking tours for visitors for example are designed to show each estate in its best light, to highlight how well they are designed, and increased awareness of the strong and mixed communities that live on them.

I just wondered if either the allotments or chess club activities I've heard about -  or any other space/group of Golden Lane might be interested in taking part in Open Garden Estates by welcoming the public for a morning or afternoon on the 18th or 19th of June.

Myself or one of our volunteers could come and chat to anyone who would be interested and maybe expand the afternoon by adding a reading or something relating to the social or architectural history of the estate or to any of the current residents initiatives / interests.

Apologies for the long message (and the short notice!). I hope that you will feel free to ask anything if you might be interested in taking part. 

Thanks and Kind Regards

Toby

[Maria Elizabeth Prior]

Hello Toby.  Welcome to our site.  I am a Committee Member of GLERA, and to be honest am not sure who has the email address you were given.  However, regarding your post, the ironical thing is that, although we are listed as a Private Estate, and the signs are clear about that, the public already use our Estate, in certain areas as a 'public park'.  Therefore, in this case there would be little to 'open up'.  Unfortunately, and I believe they are mostly office workers that use it, we have problems of litter being left around, and discarded cigarette butts.  We, as residents, pay for the upkeep of our spaces, and our Estate portering staff spend a fair bit of time clearing up after these people.  Particularly at lunch times, sometimes some areas get so crowded that even the residents cannot use their own space.  

Regarding the Allotment, that is open, at certain times to the general public, but you would need to speak to those who run this group.  

[Maria Elizabeth Prior]

Toby, have just read your link.  You say your group was 'working' to help save those estates 'under threat of demolition'!  Is there something us residents don't know about?  I am somewhat concerned, in that case as to why you have our Estate on your 'radar'!  

[Toby]

Hi Maria

Apologies I should have made that clear from my post - no! - I have no information or inkling at all that Golden Lane might be facing regeneration or demolition, rather my reason for contacting you is my interest in the estate's design / architectural history and that it seems from what little I know like a "successful" estate in the middle of town which I just thought might possibly like to celebrate in solidarity with us / other estates across London. I'm very sorry for any confusion caused. We are simply trying to spread awareness since the Housing and Planning Bill and are very concerned that people often know too little too late about the intentions of their host council but we are also just trying to enagage with and change the public misperception that council estates are bad / dangerous places to live etc etc.

Thanks very much for your reply to my post. I'm sorry to hear that you're estate is in some ways "too public" already as you say.. it must be frustrating that public users of the grounds don't properly respect it's management - just an idea but maybe yourselves / the estate staff could make some more signs aimed specifically at the regular public users reminding them to pick up their litter etc.

Thanks again for your reply. Regarding Open Garden Estates I guess I will await to hear if anyone involved in the allotments might be interested though. 

Please do feel free to visit any of the estates on our website on the 18th-19th - the event has just been listed in the top 10 things not to miss as part of the London Festival of Architecture :-)

http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/home-garden/interiors/design-news...

 

[Maria Elizabeth Prior]

Hi Toby

Thanks for your reply.  Architects do find Golden Lane Estate very interesting, and several reside here.  Sadly, our Estate has been somewhat neglected by our local authority for a long time, when it comes to maintenance and redecoration etc. It is only now that major works are commencing, starting with Great Arthur House.  

Concerning our open spaces, there is due to be a meeting with Estate management to discuss how best to approach the encroachment of the public, and am hopeful some positive progress can be made.  

I will draw your post to the attention of those who run the Allotment anyway, just in case no one has seen it.  

Toby said:

Hi Maria

Apologies I should have made that clear from my post - no! - I have no information or inkling at all that Golden Lane might be facing regeneration or demolition, rather my reason for contacting you is my interest in the estate's design / architectural history and that it seems from what little I know like a "successful" estate in the middle of town which I just thought might possibly like to celebrate in solidarity with us / other estates across London. I'm very sorry for any confusion caused. We are simply trying to spread awareness since the Housing and Planning Bill and are very concerned that people often know too little too late about the intentions of their host council but we are also just trying to enagage with and change the public misperception that council estates are bad / dangerous places to live etc etc.

Thanks very much for your reply to my post. I'm sorry to hear that you're estate is in some ways "too public" already as you say.. it must be frustrating that public users of the grounds don't properly respect it's management - just an idea but maybe yourselves / the estate staff could make some more signs aimed specifically at the regular public users reminding them to pick up their litter etc.

Thanks again for your reply. Regarding Open Garden Estates I guess I will await to hear if anyone involved in the allotments might be interested though. 

Please do feel free to visit any of the estates on our website on the 18th-19th - the event has just been listed in the top 10 things not to miss as part of the London Festival of Architecture :-)

http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/home-garden/interiors/design-news...