"Why can not they come to play?": Housing Segregation in London | Society

OFor a hot summer day 2017, a dozen kids from a subdivision located in South London went to their nearby playground. The sprinklers were lit while the children were playing with the swaying tire. Their cries and laughter echoed throughout the property. Soon after, complaints were sent to residents – one about the noise, the other reminding parents that not all children have the right to play in this space.

Although the residents of Lollard Street are neighbors, they do not have the same access to common areas. The developer, Henley Homes, has been accused of preventing social housing residents from using shared play spaces in the Lilian Baylis Old School complex.

To obtain a building permit for development, plans had to include "affordable" housing and social rental housing. But a Guardian investigation revealed that the plans had been modified after a building permit had been granted to prevent tenants of public housing from accessing the common playgrounds.

Jane Bloomfield, 43, who bought her apartment five years ago, said it was a shock when she realized that the children were in solitary confinement. "One summer evening, we were all in the playground and these kids were looking out the window. We asked them to come in and the children responded "we can not" … they go to school together, it's incredibly sad and wrong. "

Bloomfield has opened the doors on the other side to allow children to enter and play. "The reason we're frustrated is because they're kids. It was very difficult to take for a mother a really physical manifestation of segregation. My daughter said, "But I do not understand, why can not they just come play?"

Complex layout

Claudia Cifuentes, 38, is a tenant of social housing and has lived in the block for four years. His apartment located on the ground floor gives directly on the playground that his children are not allowed to use. "It's a discrimination of what they do," she said, adding that her children had to jump over the fence to play in the area. "My son and my daughter do not know they are not allowed to go. When I say no, they think it's because mom said no and that's it. But I never told them it's because they're not allowed, because they're going to start asking questions, and I do not know how I'm going to explain it. "

Daniela Rea, 33, has three children and has been a tenant in the block for three years. She stated that she had been informed that her children would be able to use the playground, but that has changed since they moved in. "They know each other from school and around. They want to play together, but they can not. "

She added that her 12-year-old son, Alessandra, was using a wheelchair and would benefit from access to the playground. "He has a therapy bike and he stays in the apartment. Sometimes I have to bring it to the park, but I stopped because it's quite heavy like a bike.

Alessandra said, "It hurts me not to be able to use this playground. I want to play with other kids. And when it's hot, normally they have parties and I have to watch it from my window. "

His 13-year-old sister said, "It saddens me. It's really rude. We live on the same planet and no child cares who pays rent and who does not. I think they should knock down that wall and let us in.

Louise Whitley, the first to raise the issue, said the policy was a clear separation. "People can not separate our children and get by with it. It's morally wrong. "

Gloria Dobson, 70, has lived in the neighborhood all her life. She moved into the building as a tenant of social housing three years ago. She said she thought the problem was going beyond the playground. "They make us feel like we're in second clbad," she said, adding that the elevator was often Out of order. "I had to stay in the hospital for another week because the elevator was down, it was repaired, but no one wanted to go because they are so used to it breaking up."

We would like to hear from readers who have experienced similar problems where a developer has created separate play areas for the richest and poorest residents or any other practice of "mediocre doors". You can share your experiences with us by completing this encrypted form – anonymously if you wish. We will not post anything without contacting you and only the Guardian has access to the contributions. You can read the terms of use here.

Towards the end of the day, children from both sides of the block came to play in the small park reserved for tenants of social housing. One mother smiled, turned to another and said, "It's a pleasure to see them play together."