Hackney Green Party have called on Hackney Council to protect the Eastern Curve Garden and put the community in control of the area. This is part of the party’s formal response to the Council’s Dalson Quarter Consultation.
The Greens criticise the ‘binary’ nature of the consultation, calling for a ‘community-led’ approach to this and similar schemes. The response sets out how the Greens would approach the future of Dalston.
Greens would give over empty land to existing organisations in the area, namely the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, whom have clearly demonstrated their ability to manage resources in an environmentally, culturally and financially sustainable way.
Other organisations deemed to be of community value should be supported by issuing peppercorn leases which would give security of tenure enabling them to plan ahead. Greens believe a community-led organisation or trust to be the best model to ensure that the area is managed in a community-focused way.
Greens also joined hundreds of residents and visitors in expressing concerns about the future of the Eastern Curve Garden.
Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Hackney North and Stoke Newington PPC said: "The Curve Garden is the green jewel in Dalston's crown and any threat to its integrity or the sunlight that allows it to thrive must be resisted in the strongest possible terms.
The garden should not become a through-fare and its nature as a welcoming community space should not be threatened by integrating it into a series of soulless shopfronts."
Rebecca Johnson, Hackney South PPC said” “I live nearby and like many Hackney residents, I don’t have a garden. So I’ve been coming to the Curve Garden to enjoy being outdoors amongst flowers and other families, and to breathe and think.
It is exactly the kind of vibrant community space we need to cherish and protect - and create more! Hackney Greens will oppose any plans that would threaten this lovely garden oasis.”
Dan Thomson, lifelong Hackney resident, nursery school teacher and Green Party member explains: “The harsh reality is that there are not anywhere near enough green spaces in Dalston and we need to keep a hold of what little we do have.
The Eastern Curve is a place where we feel the true sense of community and belonging; it is a space in which we have had the pleasure of enjoying the company of friends and family; it is a place in which we have seen our children play and grow before our very eyes - alongside the very growth of nature itself”
Hackney Green Party activist and children’s doctor Alex Armitage is allso worried about the council’s plans. “As an advocate for child health, there are so many reasons why I treasure the Curve Garden. Outdoor spaces such as this reduce child obesity and mental illness.
For children and their families who suffer with ADHD, safe green spaces like the Curve Garden are a lifeline because they create an environment for children to explore, run around and let off steam. The Green Party stands for an alternative model of development in Dalston which prioritises the social, environmental and cultural value in our community – not simply the amount of money we can generate for people who are already rich enough”