Council does U-turn over ROA graffiti rabbit

ROA's giant rabbit is 'a thing of beauty' according to Julia Craik, managing director of the Premises recording studio and cafe upon which it is painted. Photo:© Tim Sullivan

One of Hackney’s most prominent street paintings has been spared destruction by the council.

In late September environmental officers ordered the owners of a shopfront at 203 Hackney Road to remove a 12ft rabbit painting on its wall. The graffiti is the work of renowned Belgian artist ROA, who has been creating complex and imaginative paintings of animals on buildings across Europe and New York and has recently won a commission in São Paulo, Brazil.

A council spokesperson said: “Following a review by the council’s planning service, we will not be taking enforcement action in respect of the painting.

“We have written to the owners of The Premises to inform them of this decision. Throughout this entire process, we have made every effort to work with all the concerned parties to try and resolve this issue and are pleased that we can now put an end to this matter.

“Having reviewed [The] Premises’ petition, it does fall some way short of the necessary criteria and in its current format, would not be able to trigger a debate in the next meeting of full council.

“The council’s e-petition facility will be in place at the start of December, which is two weeks ahead of the legal deadline.  Once this facility is available, [The] Premises and other group[s] for that matter will be able to submit a petition and we will assess these against the relevant criteria.

“At the same time, there are several other ways in which local people can get their voice heard at a meeting of full council and we would encourage the local community to explore these options. This includes asking a question at a meeting of full council or submitting a deputation, which requires ten signatures and [a] member of Hackney Council to act as sponsor.”

Hackney Council’s e-petition facility is due to go live on Wednesday, 1 December 2010. The council is legally required to have this facility in place by no later than Wednesday, 15 December 2010. A petition submitted through the council’s e-petition facility must have more than 750 signatures from people who live, work and study in Hackney with proof of address, in order to trigger a debate at a meeting of full council.

Related story: ROA’s graffiti rabbit faces removal by Hackney Council