Hoxton Citizens launches Shoreditch Park charter

Taking action: Hoxton Citizens’ first meeting. Photograph: CitizensUK

A neighbourhood alliance in Hoxton has announced a six-point plan outlining its concerns over council proposals for Shoreditch Park.

The Town Hall has put forward plans for a new leisure centre to replace Britannia, which it says is “coming to the end of its life”, along with a new secondary school to help with the rising demand for places in the borough.

The development is to be partly funded by the sale of housing, which would also be built at the site.

But newly-formed Hoxton Citizens – part of national community action movement CitizensUK –  launched a plan of its own at its inaugural get-together on 28 January.

Representatives from seven local institutions – Hackney Community College, St. Anne’s, St John’s Hoxton and St Monica’s churches, and St John the Baptist, Randal Cremer and St Monica’s primary schools – unveiled the Hoxton Citizens Shoreditch Park Charter.

The group collected over a thousand local opinions in a “listening exercise” which formed the basis for the charter’s six main demands. These include a commitment from the council to work with Hoxton Citizens beyond the consultation process, and a guarantee of at least 50 per cent affordable housing at the site – consisting of living rent and community land trust homes.

The group also wants the council to introduce a construction training pathway to create job opportunities for local pupils, and to pledge that the living wage will be paid to all workers involved in the development, including people in procurement and construction as well as those working at the finished development.

Other demands include toilets and a café next to the playground and free sports classes for youngsters.

Local councillors Yvonne Maxwell, Tom Ebbutt, and Kam Adams have agreed to recognise the charter as an official contribution to the council’s consultation, which ends in February. The councillors also vowed to work with Hoxton Citizens throughout the planning process to help the group push its priorities.

The neighbourhood meeting also saw pupils from local primary schools – which are participating in CitizensUK’s flagship ‘Children as Leaders’ initiative – share their local campaigns for road safety.

Hoxton Citizens identified the children’s most pressing demands: a zebra crossing outside St Monica’s school, a ‘Cycle slowly’ sign on Pitfield Street, a fence to keep children safe by Randal Cremer primary school, and a review of a dangerous junction on Hoxton Street.

Randal Cremer headteacher Jo Riley said: “We take our school council very seriously as we believe strongly that children need to be listened to, as decisions made by adults impact on them daily.

“We want our children to grow into adults who understand the importance of community engagement and the role they can play in making a difference.”

St John’s vicar Reverend Graham Hunter said: “The first meeting of Hoxton Citizens demonstrated a type of politics that is fun, pragmatic and genuinely builds relationships. If you’re in Hoxton and in need of some hope, get in touch and join in!”