DEVELOPERS who seized a treasured park and turned it into a desolate wasteland still haven’t handed it back to the community.
Hatcham Gardens, in Lewisham, South London, was closed in 2018 so Peabody Housing could store heavy machinery to build a vast 65-flat complex.
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But years after completion, “Berlin Wall”-style hoardings and sinister fencing bar school kids and deprived families from the only green space in the area, leaving them devastated.
Edward Goodwin, a parent at Kender Primary School that overlooks the travesty, says the saga has been a shambles.
The product designer, who is chair of the board of governors, told The Sun: “Peabody came in, they said don’t worry, the playground will be reinstated, but then it hasn’t.
“They say the problem is the cost to clear up the park but where is all that money from the development going?
“There’s wasteland on one side of the school and wasteland on the other. Peabody has created this little exercise area but it’s just a dog toilet.”
Flats in The Pomeroy development sell for £600,000 and buyers say they bought on the premise of immediate access to the park – but this hasn’t come to pass.
Peabody says the project to clear the mess they’ve left is proving too costly but claim it will be cleared by Spring 2024.
Speaking to The Sun, they added: “We have faced various problems that were out of our control, including an unexpected lack of suitable contractors interested in doing the job.”
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But Peabody’s excuses have fallen on deaf ears, with one resident who has lived directly opposite the park for five years accusing the developer of erecting a Cold War-style perimeter.
She told The Sun: “They’re crazy. It’s like the Berlin Wall, it’s just awful. I look out my living room window and can’t see anything.
“Peabody are not claiming responsibility for it and Lewisham Council are saying it’s not their problem.”
Elvana Koraj, originally from Albania, has lived in the area since 2019 and has a son in year two at Kender.
The mum, who sits on the Parent Teacher Association, told The Sun: “I am angry at Peabody, it has made a big impact on my family.
“This area doesn’t have any parks, there is one park behind the church but it’s small, full of dogs and where people drink.”
Meanwhile Mary King, 40, who has two young kids at Kender Primary and works for Trees For Cities says the situation is “horrible”.
She told The Sun: “Ever since we’ve been coming to this school there’s been this space that’s just been boarded off.
“It’s horrible, it makes it difficult to socialise with other parents, then we had Covid, there has not been a nice social atmosphere for some years.”
A “depressing” playground sits next to the once lush park and features swings and other apparatus but it’s not enough to help the deprived community.
Keith Barr, headmaster of Kender Primary for 16 years, says his pupils need the outdoor space to play before and after school.
Around 35-40 percent of kids at the school are on free school meals and come from poor families.
Mr Barr said: “Children are missing it, they live in quite cramped accommodation, the nearest park is 20 minutes away.
“The community have been very patient but there should have been a timeline in place. It’s just priorities, there needs to be more focus on providing that space for children to play.”
And one man walking his Staffordshire Bull Terrier added: “This was a park that’s been there since the 70s – now look at it.
“We used to have grass to play football on, now nothing, it’s a hazard.”
Carlene Smith moved opposite the park five years ago and knows nothing else .
The mum, who has a nine-year-old son at the school, said: “I was told it would be back in a yea but no.
“You wake up and you see this, it’s not a nice view.”
What the developers say
A spokesperson for Peabody said: “We’re very disappointed that the new playground still hasn’t been built and we share the frustrations of residents.
“Unfortunately, the homes and the park were delayed by Covid.
“We’ve been working closely with Lewisham Council’s parks team to deliver the park improvements.
“We have faced various problems that were out of our control, including an unexpected lack of suitable contractors interested in doing the job.
“We’ve since been unable to find a landscaping company that’s willing to provide a reasonable quote for the work.
“However, we’re seeking quotes from other contractors and expect this to take another three months.
“While this does unfortunately mean a further delay, we’re committed to improving the park because we know it’s what local children and families want.”
A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said: “We share residents’ frustrations with the delay in delivering the agreed improvement works to this section of the park.
“We have urged Peabody to ensure the improvement works are carried out as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, we are speaking to Peabody and Kender Primary School to discuss a temporary solution that would see this section of the park safely reopened to the public until the full improvement works can be carried out.”
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