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Several other subdivisions in London offer separate playgrounds for the richest and poorest children, may reveal the Guardian Cities.
Politicians from all walks of life have denounced this week developer Henley Homes after a survey showed that he was blocking social housing residents in the shared gaming spaces of his Baylis Old School complex, in the South London. The case led Henley to make a public statement yesterday, and Lambeth's board began tearing down the wall.
Now, an investigation has revealed that history is not unique. Up to half a dozen developments across London – most of them relatively new or featuring recent conversions from older buildings – constitute separate play areas for kids. the richest and the poorest, often with hedges or other obstacles.
The development of Seren Gardens, located near Greenwich Park, is a mix of social homes, shared properties and private homes, and has won a Evening Standard award for the best mixed-scale mixed-use fashion development.
The part of the site dedicated to shared ownership and social housing, which is managed by Moat Housing, does not have access to common recreation areas.
"We do not have an outdoor area, but this balcony that I obviously do not want my children to go out a lot," said resident Lucy, who did not want to be identified. "Two children from private development are at school with my children. But they can not play together. And kids know it – they know there is a playground they can not use.
"We play in the parking lot when the weather is nice."
The housing badociation's attempts to persuade them to give them access have failed. Lucy added that Moat had responded that they were paying different service fees to private owners.
"It really complicates things, because different people are involved, a housing badociation in this building, one here, but we pay a service fee, we pay £ 130 a month."
Seren Gardens, which won the Evening Standard Award for Best Large-Scale Mixed Development. A photograph: Alan Camp Architects
A spokesman for Moat said, "Although Leamington Court and Seren Park are adjacent and share the same access road, they are two separate projects governed by different ownership structures. Both facilities are mixed and all residents, regardless of their status, have access to the amenities of their particular development. "
A spokesman for the Greenwich Council said that they were looking into the matter when they were contacted for comments.
Another building on Church path in Islington, managed by Southern Housing, offers private and social housing overlooking a large central garden to which only private owners have access.
Basia Lazaro, a resident of the social housing section, said that she had first had access to the garden – then, five years ago, social residents were informed that they could not more use it. A sign on the door now reads: "Private".
"I got so caught up on this," Lazaro said. "They actually deactivated my keychain. My children know – they saw [the Henley Homes story on] Hello Britain and said, "Hey, it's like us here."
"If we could get in, we could play, put on a blanket, socialize. It would be a shared social space for us.
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Lazaro said residents have written several times over the years to Southern Housing unanswered.
A Southern spokesman, Chris Harris, defended the decision to restrict access to the recreation area, claiming that social housing residents have their own space in a different street.
"Southern Housing Group is a not-for-profit social housing provider. We make sure that the common areas of our domains are accessible to all our residents. The garden at blocks 313 and 317 on Esbad Road is not a common area for the estate and no one else has the right to access it. The Red House Square (located between Church Road and Ashby Grove) is a public and play area accessible to all residents. "
Diarmaid Ward, executive member of the Housing and Development Council of Islington, said the site would never be approved today.
"We have made it clear that all new formal gaming spaces should be free and accessible. Any planning application that excludes tenants of affordable housing from common spaces would face strong resistance, "he said.
"This development would never have been approved today and we are calling on all building managers to ensure that existing play spaces are accessible to all, regardless of tenure."
London Square Streatham Hill is a large mixed real estate complex completed last year by London Square developers on the site of a former nightclub and bowling alley. Exhausted housing prices have started at £ 500,000 for a one bedroom apartment with views of huge landscaped gardens.
Residents of the social housing portion of the block, which is managed by Peabody Housing, contacted Guardian Cities because they were told they could not access the gardens.
"Some of our apartments have a view of these huge gardens and we have nothing," said one of the residents. Nowhere are the children here to run or play outside. It is modern apartheid.
The gardens of London Square Streatham Hill. Since the Guardian made contact with him, the developer and Peabody Housing have committed to desegregate this space. Photography: London Square
"I work, I pay a service fee of £ 220 a month. In fact, I'm glad I did not look over the gardens: how can I tell my kids that they can not play there because I do not have a big bank balance?
However, after contacting Peabody Housing and the promoters of London Square, the Guardian issued a joint statement in which he promised to desegregate the space:
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for this confusion. This program has been specifically designed so that all residents can access the garden. We will individually write to residents to explain this and ensure that they all have access to it. "
Matthew Bennett of Lambeth Council, a member of the cabinet responsible for planning, investing and building new housing, confirmed that the council had explicitly guaranteed access to the common courtyard for all residents. granting of building permit.
"I could not be clearer in my condemnation for any form of segregation. The common areas of shared housing complexes should be exactly what they are: common. "
Peabody said that he was "grateful to the Guardian for bringing our attention to this problem."
Henley Homes workers are removing the wall of the old Baylis school building in Lambeth, London, which has prevented social housing children from using the shared playgrounds. Photography: Teri Pengilley / The Guardian
Dick Mortimer, executive director of the group, said, "Our tenants and our tenants should and can use the communal gardens. Indeed, it was planning that our residents would have the same access as private buyers subject to service fees.
"Unfortunately, we have not explained this properly or done enough for our residents to have access to it. I am really sorry and I wrote to our residents to confirm that the gardens are for all residents and that we will cover their service charges for five years to make up for this mistake.
"I've also asked that all our other developments be checked for similar problems."
In Camberwell, Mary Datchelor School was for several years the headquarters of Save the Children. In 2009, the developer Berkeley Homes converted it into an apartment complex. There is an adjacent social housing block, operated since 2017 by Peabody Housing.
The blocks all border an indoor garden – with a hedge dividing the garden, separating the private owners from the other tenants.
Berkeley Homes did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Peabody said she was investigating the matter and reiterated her commitment to checking all her developments for possible segregation problems as a result of the Guardian investigation.
In response to the new revelations, Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield said real estate developers need to focus more on bringing people together.
"Children should be able to grow up knowing that they are a valuable part of their community and not a marginalized marginalized simply because they belong to a less affluent environment.
"I want real estate developers to use their skills to bring communities together in inspiring places to live and play with strong social values and inclusion at the heart of their concerns. All planning planning departments should look for the same thing and remove all barriers allowing some children to be put aside. "
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