At all the meetings so far, the idea of holding a street party has come up It seems like a great way to get people engaged in the project and for people locally to get to know each other a bit better. So we got together to plan and this is what we came up with...
The Brixton Garden Party : Sunday 18th September from 4pm, Fairmount Road
It would be fantastic if the party itself demonstrated how much we can achieve together as a community - and most importantly it will be a chance to have a really good party. A lot of people talked about events for the Big Lunch - we have missed this year's date, but this is our chance to do something similar.
So where to start ?
First we need 10-12 people to volunteer to leaflet, knock on doors, distribute info and gather emails from residents in Fairmount Road, Beechdale Road and Raleigh Gardens - the three roads adjacent to the site. We have 6 volunteers already, so another 6 means that we would only need to knock on about 10 doors each and it shouldn't take more than 45 minutes. We plan to do this as a group or in pairs with people starting closest to their own home addresses early evening in the week of 15th August . Please email thegardenbixton@gmail.com if you can help out.
We hope that this will get even more people interested, and it would be good to get as many people as possible along to a party planning meeting during that week as well - more details to follow.
We also thought we could ask some local businesses to make a donation in cash or kind or offer support on the day and we can think more about how we do that when we meet , but if anyone has any contacts with local businesses please do give me a shout. Please get in touch if you have any contacts with schools in the area who might want to get involved by supplying a band or doing a show.
We brainstormed a list of ideas about things we would need for the party - some people had done this before and it was great to hear that you don't need much to have a good street party, even in bad weather (although not much can be done if it totally tips with rain).
We have probably forgotten things from this list so please do add ideas of what would make a good party. Most importantly, please let me know if you own or can get hold of any of these items as we don't have any budget for this party so we are hoping that between the three streets we can find everything we need.
Things we need:
Tarpaulins
A few gazebos or a small marquee
Folding tables and chairs
Face painting, chalk for chalk drawing on the pavements, ping pong or any other games that can be played in large groups Electricity cables
Sound system and DJ
A small stage?
A big barbeque or lots of little barbeques
A big barbeque or lots of little barbeques
And to let people know about the project...
3 display boards to contain information about the project
Photos and information about places that inspire us
A site model
Plasticine and other materials to model ideas for the site
Cameras/video cameras
I'll post a bit later with a list of things that need doing on the day...meanwhile, happy party planning!
As suspected this street party nothing but blatant advertising for the creation of a MAJOR DEVELOPEMENT at the back of Raleigh Gardens.
ReplyDeleteWhich does NOT have the backing of the majority of the residence in Raleigh Garden.
The Garden Project
ReplyDeleteQuestions
1) The land is in private ownership currently. Who exactly owns the land and what do they want to do with it?
2) How much can the land be purchased for?
3) Who will ultimately use the space?
Community spaces tend to work best when they in public spaces rather than being wedged between well established residential areas.
One of the nicest things about Fairmount Road is that it is relatively quiet. Now that a gate has been erected in the alley way next to number 5 Fairmount Rd to stop its use by prostitutes, we do not want to encourage such individuals back to a clean, user friendly community space.
4) What do the people who live adjacent to the space want done with the area?
Their views are of utmost importance as they will be directly affected by people marching past their door (number 2 Fairmount Road) and making noise in the new space. What we do not want is the space being used by individuals who cause a nuisance to neighbours leading to unhealthy disputes, which may also devalue homes adjacent to the space in the long run.
The use of the space for the “local community” covers is a very broad universe of individuals and we need a better understanding of exactly who will ultimately use the space and what steps will be taken for non-local community individuals from using it.
Does the local community include residents of the neighbouring half-way house and their friends, local prostitutes and their pimps or individuals now loitering at the bus stop on Acre Lane?
What can the space be used for?
To make the space work I actually feel that it will only do so if it is used by residents of Fairmount Road and Beechdale Road only. This is because they will have a vested interest in its maintenance and viability. Unfortunately, experience has shown that users of the space who simply come and go will not value the space in he same way as residents directly next to the space. A few proposed uses are:
- a community space for residents of Fairmount Road and Beechdale Road
- a health & fitness centre providing yoga, gym and a childrens play area
- tennis court, 5-a-side football, basketball play area
- parking for visitors to Fairmount Road and Beechdale Road.
- simply clear the area and leave it alone
There are many suggested uses for the space on “www.gardenbrixton.blogspot.com”. The suggestions are a mixture both interesting, ridiculous and unwise and you can probably guess whether the individuals who suggested these uses live on Fairmount or Beechdale Road or in the broader community. My own views on the suggestions will be aired in forthcoming events:
Dear David
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that you feel so unhappy about this set of ideas- I am not sure if we have met during any of the meetings or not, but I would very much like to hear more about your concerns. The spirit of this is community based, and I would be really concerned if it caused hostility. I would like to hear more about your concerns for the site - please do email me on thegardenbrixton@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you, Katherine