The war on terror and sandwiches in Victoria Park

If you've visited the BT London Live event in Victoria Park you may be aware that the event has been a less than happy happening for some people - primarily because of the approach to security.

The security entrance to Victoria Park

Now we know where all the missing crowd barriers at Mile End went! (see BT London Live @Victoria Park - Crowd Management at Mile End)

Note that there's more security people than people trying to enter? The only night they've had a lot attend was the Opening Ceremony when 15,000 attended.
Many who bought tickets in advance felt like they wasted money - as there's no need to queue most of the time and not a lot of people are attending.  Numbers this last week have been way down on what was projected.

You may have noticed the huge amount of empty space in the park in the video that went viral of the Mayor stuck on the zip wire.  At least the event has gone viral around the world as a result!




Warnings on the way out only?

It's possible Boris missed this one - we did!

This warning (see below) was on the way out only.  That means that if you enter they can photograph and film you and then display it for all time - but they won't tell you so before you enter!

A Warning Notice - which was seen for the first time on the way out of the event!

No food and drink allowed in Victoria Park (which is cNOT as per Olympic Regs.)

Unlike the Community Big Screens whhich BT are sponsoring elsewhere in London - where people are encouraged to bring picnics with them - the Live Nation Event in Victoria Park refuses to allow ANY food beyond the security check

They make everyone including small children go through airport style security including a hand-held metal detector search and a bag x-ray.

They refuse to allow any food and drink into the venue

The email I received after complaining to live nation about the no food rule said if I wanted to bring food due to allergies I would need to produce a doctors note! Absolute madness.

Here's a list of things which security have so far forced people to dump

• drinks bottles
• picnics
• sandwiches
• bags of crisps
• one apple 

Just been turned away from Victoria Park because of a child's scooter though there is nothing about scooters on the website. Can't you at least have a tent or somewhere to leave them in? Scooters are tricky to lock up and it's a long walk for a 5 year old without one. Was all set to spend money inside - and it was looking pretty empty in there - so seems a commercial error too.

They say this is because what the regulation say.

However they don't seem to have read exactly what the OFFICIAL PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED ITEMS RE OLYMPIC VENUES actually says.

The only conclusion we can come to is that the prohibition in food and drink is entirely about making money off people - including all those who may be trying to exist on a very limited budget.

If the Council knew this before it happened they should be ashamed of themselves!  Check out the prices.

Only options were burgers, noodles, ice-cream,fizzy drinks, coffee or sweets. No fruit, no salad, no juice.

Typical prices being charged are:

• "London 2012" branded drink bottles - £7 each
• coke/sprite/fanta/water for £2-£3 each
• Jug of cocktails £30 (suspected to be fruit juice)
• Pint of Lager £4.20
• Cadburys branded ice creams only £3 each
• Junk food (people are complaining about the lack of healthy options) eg 
• £4 for a burger 
• £3 for not a lot of chips - some being branded inedible

We knew the rules, but the variety and quality of food & drink is shocking.

Plus there's a consensus that some of the food being served is inedible - note what gets dumped around the park!

For more details and comments see

• Tower Hamlets Federation of TRAs blog - Maximum Insecurity
• Trial by Jeory - Live Nation in Victoria Park – an exercise in entrapment

We trust that Tower Hamlets Council's Environmental Health are checking the quality of the food and drink as well as the noise.

If you're going to BT London Live at Victoria Park

Here's our RECOMMENDATIONS if you're planning on attending this event next week.

1. MAKE SURE YOU EAT AND DRINK BEFORE YOU COME
2. If you don't make sure you bring lots of money with you for the expensive food and drink inside the event. 
3. Print out and take with you this list of what's NOT allowed in Olympic venues - Prohibited Items (pdf file).  The only item relating to food is "excessive food" - and that's not the same as all food.  If somebody asks you to dump food ask to see the regulations which says no food is allowed in - and then whip out your copy of the official regulations!  Note that ALL the Olympic Venues allow people to take food in.  If they refuse it's absolutely nothing to do with security and is everything to do with extracting money from your wallet.
4. When reading the Facebook Page remember that it relates to both the Hyde Park and the Victoria Park site:
• all the crowd photos relate to Hyde Park - the only images of Victoria Park have involved lots of grass and not a lot of people
• people seem to have been enjoying themselves more at Hyde Park
5. There is nothing to say that non-breakable containers of 500ml or bigger are not allowed (as per the official restrictions)
6. You are not allowed to bring in - as per the OFFICIAL prohibitions and restrictioms. 

• Glass bottles larger than 100ml
• More than 100ml in liquids
• excessive amounts of food

Alternative Sites

This weekend there's The Games on a Big Screen in Langdon Park - a free family event delivered by housing and regeneration community association Poplar HARCA

Lewisham Council have a 7.6m x 4.8m screen positioned on a Lewisham Live Big Screen on the heath at Blackheath for local residents and visitors. It's being run by the Council and you can bring your own food - in fact they encourage you to do so. There's also a number of alternative cafes, restaurants, bars and shops in Blackheath Village.

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BT London Live @Victoria Park - Crowd Management at Mile End

BT London Live @Victoria Park - Crowd Management at Mile End, a set on Flickr.

These were the scenes outside Mile End Tube Station early this morning - with queues of people waiting for tubes all the way up past Southern Grove last night between 1.30am and 2.00am

Crowds exiting the BT London Live event in Victoria Park arrived at Mile End about 1am in the morning.

Gates were used by TfL staff to control entry into the tube station. People were let through when the platforms and trains could accommodate them. MERA were very pleased to see the efforts employed by TfL staff to prevent overcrowding in the station and on the platforms.

However the Crowd Management Plan had broken down.

• There was a major lack of crowd barriers which was causing concern for the Police.
• The crowd marshals were having to substitute for the missing crowd barriers on the north side of Mile End Road.
• People were walking amongst the heavy traffic on Mile End Road.

No Crowd Barriers: People walking in Mile End Road
outside Mile End Tube 1:37am 28 July 2012

• People trying to get on a tube were having to queue all the way past the flats in Buttermere House up to Southern Grove and beyond. While well behaved the crowd was noisy for people trying to sleep.

Junction of Southern Grove & Mile End Road  28 July 2012 1:27am
The queue of people waiting to get on tubes at Mile End Tube Station
extended from the station all the way back to Southern Grove and beyond.
A queue several people deep was lined up outside the flats
- and people trying to sleep - in Butternere House

The crowds had cleared by 1.45am. This is not unacceptable for a one-off event. It is totally unacceptable if it is to happen night after night for 17 nights.

There is to be a review of how well crowd management worked this morning.

While the crowd was well behaved, it struck us that the crowd management plan took no account whatsoever of the needs of people sleeping in local flats - particularly given the scope to queue people past commercial buildings with no people sleeping.

We will be sending local Councillors and the Cllr Golds who chaired the Licensing Sub-Committee a link to this post and the photographs on Flickr.

The impact of the Victoria Park Live Site on Mile End

Tonight is the start of lots of people wanting to access public transport at Mile End late at night - for 17 nights in a row (until 12th August 2012).

Back in April, MERA reps attended the Tower Hamlets Licensing Sub Committee to object to the licensing application for the Live Site in Victoria Park along with fellow objectors who included Councillors Joshua Peck and Mark Francis.

The bulk of the meeting was taken up with the hearing of evidence relating to the Application for a Time Limited Premises Licence, Victoria Park, Bow, E3 - Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd  PDF 89 KB (Additional documents: 2b. LiveNation2012 RED All Appx's, item 4.3  PDF 8 MB)

The preparation of the application by the organisers had completely failed to address some very significant concerns relating to the impact of the events on local residents in Bow and Mile End.

From MERA's perspective:

• our major concern related to people leaving the Live Site late at night and attempting to get home via public transport at Mile End.
• We shared concerns about the impact on the sleep of working people of late night disruptions night after night for 17 nights in a row.

It was very clear that the original application had paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to the impact on the Mile End area late at night.

Specifically the licensing application was completely silent on how people leaving Victoria Park late at night would be managed and where they would wait to access public transport.  

While some people may be local and able to walk home, it was very clear that many thousands of people would have to wait a very long time to get on tube trains leaving Mile End Station (The tube trains will be full of people leaving the Olympic Park).  It would also be neither possible nor safe for thousands of people to access and wait for trains on the platforms of the Station. We suggested it was imperative that another Bethnal Green Tube Disaster was avoided.

In the end the Council had to extend the meeting in order to hear and discuss all the evidence.

We were presented with four new documents when we got to the Licensing Committee – none of which had been sent to us in advance of the meeting. 

One was a very weak Transport Plan. 

• Dispersal from the site was acknowledged to be critical – and yet they had no crowd management plans or egress marshalling plans to show us how this will be managed in Grove Road and around Mile End
• There were very significant holes in the data and conclusions of the Transport Plan.

Licence granted with major conditions

In the end the licence was granted by the Council (see end of this post for complete transcript of the licence) but with some very significant changes:

• the site capacity at any one time is now limited to 20,000 people.  After representations by  MERA and others plus further investigation, the Council recognised there was no way – as we predicted – that local transport could cope with 30,000 leaving the Park very late at night.
• There are no changes to the proposals for the Opening (27th July) and Closing (12th August) nights of the main Olympic Games.  These were recognised to be special one-off events.
• The hours for licensed activities on other nights have been changed to ensure these finish earlier. The aim is to get more people to leave even earlier which will help with the pressure points re Bethnal Green and Mile End tubes. For the rest of the Olympic Games period (ie 28th July - 11th August 2012)
• Sunday to Thursday: all entertainment and music (live and recorded) to stop at 10pm and alcohol to stop at 11pm 
• Friday and Saturday: all entertainment and Music (live and recorded) to stop at 11pm and alcohol to stop at 11.30. 
• Changes to the allowed times for set-up and take-down so that further disruption to nearby residents is minimised.  These now relate more closely to the hours normally allowed for building works in a residential area.
• Scope granted for the Council to change level re decibels limits to sound heard in Waterlow Crescent if residents complain and say situation is untenable 

So why do BT London Live Site publicise incorrect information?

This is the BT London Live Site website page which provides FREE TO ACCESS DAYS DETAILED EVENT INFORMATION.

Specifically these is what THEY state are the Victoria Park opening hours (see below for evidence as per screendump from the site)

The BT London Live Site completely fails to mention (see below) when the music stops and at what time they will stop serving alcohol on all evenings apart from the Opening and Closing Nights. 

The aim of the licence was to get people to leave earlier to spread the load on the tube.  At the moment it would appear London Live Site want to send out completely different - and misleading - messages.......

We will be monitoring.....

BT London Live, TfL and Tower Hamlets Council may like to note that tonight we will be monitoring what happens tonight in the vicinity of Mile End Tube Station - and the homes of members of this Residents Association.

If necessary, we will be photographing and videoing the management of the arrangements relating to the health and safety of people trying to access Mile End Tube Station - and uploading these to Flickr for discussion with bodies responsible for the enforcement of licensing conditions and the health and safety of people trying to use public transport.

MEMBERS - Please contacts us (see side column as to how to do this) if you are adversely affected after 1am by tonight's celebrations.

REFERENCE: Full text of Item 4.3 of Minutes of Licensing Sub Committee on 26 April 2012 and and Licence

Application for a Time Limited Premises Licence, Victoria Park, Bow, E3 - Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd

• Meeting of Licensing Sub Committee, Thursday, 26th April, 2012 7.00 p.m., NEW (Item 4.3)

Minutes:

The Licensing Sub-Committee was being asked to grant a an application for a Time Limited Premises License by Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd at Victoria Park

London E3 from 26th July 2012 to 13th August 2012 for a capacity of 29,999 persons.  The hearing was triggered by representations made by interested parties, namely two local Councillors and local residents, in relation to their concerns arising in respect of the licensing objectives of:

i)          the prevention of crime and disorder

ii)         public safety

iii)        the prevention of public nuisance

At the invitation of the Chair , Members heard representations from Mr Crier the Applicant’s Solicitor and evidence from experts in event management, health and safety and transport called by the Solicitor to respond to questions from the Sub-Committee and objectors comprising two local Councillors and residents. The Solicitor informed the Sub-Committee that the emphasis of the event was sport, introductory coaching sessions and entertainment activities.  There will be opportunities to view Olympic events free of charge, to take part in introductory sessions and information to pursue interests in these activities after the festival through local organisations.

Information concerning the following matters was provided.

• Concerning reducing nuisance; there will be a ‘hard finish’ to the programme on the days of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.  At other times during the festival there will be a staggered finish to ensure egress nuisance is reduced.

• Concerning public safety; staggered activity finish times will provide more transport options.  Bethnal Green and Mile End underground Stations will be prioritised as dispersal hubs.  There will be CCTV coverage and MPS response services.  The crowd management plan is being developed and will soon be publicly available.  There will be up to 2000 staff servicing the event.  Emergency evacuation can if necessary be accomplished in under five minutes.

• The applicant offered that a single point of contact number be made available to residents.

• Concerning crime and disorder; stewarding and marshalling levels and security are supported by the Metropolitan Police.

Members also heard the representations detailing the measures that would be implemented to ensure that nuisance and crime and disorder are addressed through stewarding and marshalling measures at ingress and egress, through a staggered activity finish plan and through the traffic and pedestrian management plan.  With the agreement of all parties, the Transport Impact Statement, Site Vision and Proposed conditions were circulated at the meeting and discussed.

At the invitation of the Chair, Members also listened to evidence from objectors.  The key representations concern noise nuisance, late night disturbance and antisocial behaviour arising from patrons leaving the events, nuisance caused by lack of dispersal capacity at transport nodes and failure to consult with the local community or Ward Councillors.  They noted that there was no objection to the proposal in principle nor to the events planned on the days of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. 

The objectors argued that nuisance would arise during the post opening and pre-closing event days in which it the applicant has sought to provide daily live music until 23:00 hours, recorded music until 00:00 hours and sale of alcohol until 00:00 hours respectively would result in local residents experiencing unacceptable noise nuisance and public nuisance (including antisocial behaviours in their residential area) arising from customers access to, and egress from, the Victoria Park, particularly given their close proximity to the Park and the widespread impacts of crowd dispersal on the surrounding areas. And therefore they object to the application and request that the hours in which live music and sale of alcohol take place be reduced.

Members also noted objectors’ arguments that there had been failure to consult with local residents until recently.

Concerning a complaint that it was unfair that noise levels in Waterford Close were higher than elsewhere, Members noted the arguments made but were not able to address this matter within the context of the meeting as this concerned technical matters associated with sound transmission.  However the Chair agreed that this was a persistent complaint and agreed to write to Environmental Health to seek mitigation on this matter.

In reaching a decision Members had regard to the Licensing Guidance (noting that revised Licensing Guidance published on 25 April 2012 is in the main not applicable to this application since it has been made prior to the date that the amendments to the Licensing Act 2003 took effect) and the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy.

Members considered the full application and the reduced hours requested by the objectors. 

Members believed that reducing the hours of opening would not be appropriate as this would adversely affect the successful delivery of the Live Site events.  However given the duration of the festival and the hours applied for, Members believe that granting the application as sought would place an unacceptable burden on the local community in terms of nuisance and potential antisocial behaviour.  They therefore considered  it was necessary and proportionate for the purpose of promoting the licensing objectives of prevention of crime and disorder, public safety and the prevention of public nuisance that the permitted times of a number of the licensable activities be reduced.

In coming to their decision members have sought to enable those who wish to view the Olympic events to fully do so and to mitigate the potentially extreme effects of the festival on the neighbouring community.

RESOLVED

That the Application for a Time Limited Premises Licence, Victoria Park, Bow, E3 - Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd be GRANTED with 21 additional conditions offered by the applicant below and further additional conditions imposed by the Sub-committee and listed also:

Conditions offered by the Applicant

1.             The licence shall cover the area as shown on the site plan dated 18.4.12 v.5.

2.             The Premises will at all times be managed in accordance and compliance with an Event Management Plan which shall be approved by the Licensing Safety Advisory Group.

3.             The amended capacity shall not exceed 20,000 at any one time (amended at the meeting)

4.             No entry shall be permitted to the Event Site after 22.00 each day and no re-entry will be allowed except by permission of the Event Liaison Team or in case of emergency.

5.             All bars will operate a strict Challenge 21 age verification policy in relation to the sale of alcohol.

6.             Alcohol will only be sold in plastic or paper/cardboard containers or vessels except in clearly designated artists and approved hospitality areas with stewarding control.

For the Prevention of Public Nuisance

7.      The “Live Music Noise Level” (LMNL) measured as an LAeq over any 15-minute period 1 metre from the façade of a residential premises shall not exceed 70 dBA, apart from Waterside Close where the LMNL shall not exceed LAeq 75 dB 15-minutes, for a maximum of 180 minutes over any day 12:00 hrs – 23:00 hrs apart from condition 8. below.

8.      The “Live Music Noise Level” (LMNL) measured as an LAeq over any 5-minute period 1 metre from the façade of a residential premises may continue on the Opening and Closing Ceremony days from 23:00 hrs – 00:30 hrs (90 minutes) and during that time shall not exceed 70 dBA, apart from Waterside Close where the LMNL shall not exceed LAeq 75 dB 5-minutes*.

9.      Other than the "Live Music Noise Level" (LMNL) in conditions 7. and 8. above, the “Music Noise Level” (MNL) between the hours of 08:30 hrs and 23:00 hrs measured as an LAeq over any 15-minute period 1 metre from the façade of a residential premises shall not exceed 68 dBA, apart from Waterside Close where the MNL shall not exceed LAeq 73 dB 15-minutes.

10.    Low frequency noise shall be controlled so as not to cause a nuisance at residential premises.

11.    A competent Noise Consultant (as defined in the Noise Council’s “Code of Practice on Environmental Noise Control at Concerts”) shall be appointed by the licensee of the event. This means a person with the ability to monitor noise competently and with the authority to control sound levels to ensure compliance with these noise conditions.

12.    A direct means of communication between the Noise Consultant and the Officers of the Environmental Health Department must be made available. There must also be a separate radio channel dedicated to noise control.

13.    The sound systems and other noise sources shall be positioned so as to minimise noise disturbance, in consultation with the Council’s Environmental Health Department.

14.    Sound tests shall be carried out in conjunction with the Councils Environmental Health Department before the event. This will determine the maximum noise levels that can prevail at agreed proxy monitoring positions so as to ensure compliance with the noise limits defined in conditions 7 and 8.

15.    A permanent noise monitor shall be placed at all “front of house” sound mixer positions, this must be able to measure 15 minute LAeq periods or less and print or store the results.  Officers must be able to view all the results at the mixer position during the event. A copy of all results measured must be forwarded as soon as reasonable practicable after the event to the Environmental Health Department. 

16.    The Noise Consultant shall be able to demonstrate an up to date calibration certificate for all noise meters used according to BS7580: 1997 and be a minimum type 2 grade instrument according to BS5969: 1981.

17.    Erection, dismantling and cleaning operations should only be undertaken during Council Policy working hours Mon. – Fri 8.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. and Saturday 8.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. unless otherwise agreed by prior consent. If work or operations are agreed outside of the above hours contact telephone number (not an answer phone) must be provided for the person in charge of these operations.

18.    White noise "Broadband" reversing alarms shall be used on any forklift truck or vehicle likely to affect any residential property.

19.    Complaints shall be directed to our Officers immediately by telephone or via the Council’s emergency gatehouse telephone number, not radio. The Council’s complaints procedure for taking and logging complaints must be followed at all times.

20.    The licensee shall comply with any reasonable instructions given by the licensing authority that seek to control noise nuisance.

21.    The noise-consultant must have a sufficient number of competent staff with the necessary authority, confirmed in writing by the licensee, to control the noise levels. This number should be agreed with Environmental Health in advance of the event.

Further Conditions Imposed by the Sub-Committee

22.       Permissions sought on the days of the opening and closing ceremonies shall be granted as applied for.

23.       For days other than the Opening and Closing Ceremony days, the terminal hours for provision of regulated entertainment as specified in sections E-K of the operating schedule be reduced to

                        Sunday – Thursday at 22:00 hours

                        Friday – Saturday at 23:00 hours

24.       For days other than the Opening and Closing Ceremony days, the terminal hour for supply of alcohol as specified in section M of the operating schedule be reduced to

                        Sunday – Thursday at 23:00 hours

                        Friday – Saturday at 23:30 hours

25.       The hours the premises are open to the public shall be as specified in section O of the operating schedule.

Supporting documents:

• 2. LiveNation2012 report (2), item 4.3  PDF 89 KB
• 2b. LiveNation2012 RED All Appx's, item 4.3  PDF 8 MB

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Human fence around Victoria Park playground - 25th February

A human fence around the new V&A playground in Victoria Park is planned for Saturday 25th February between 12pm and 3pm

Local parents and carers have become extremely concerned by the absence of any fencing for the new refurbished playgrounds in Victoria Park.  The fencing around the old playspaces were removed during the works and it has not been returned. (see Safety concerns about new playgrounds in Victoria Park on this blog)

Victoria Park - V&A Playground (inbetween Grove Road and the lake)
Can you see to the other end of the playground?

Cllr Joshua Peck (Ward Councillor for Bow West) has been pressing the Council to get a fence installed around the playground.  He's already demonstrated the nature of the problem to the relevant Director of the Council

To step up the pressure, he's asking parents and children to join him, other councillors and local MP Rushanara Ali at the playground at 12.15pm on Saturday 25th Feb to form a human fence around the playground. Local media will be invited.

The human fence will be in place between 12.00 and 3.00pm.

Please come along to show your support and tell as many of your friends as possible. Bring your kids and come and see the new playground if you've not tried it before.

More about the concerns and the Petition

These concerns resulted in the Friends of Victoria Park organising a petition.  So far over 370 people have now signed a petition asking the Council to reinstate the fence.

Put fences around Victoria Park Playgrounds

We ask that LBTH fence the playgrounds in Victoria Park for the safety of the children that play there.

Victoria Park has recently undergone a £12.3 million refurbishment including the expansion and renewal of its playgrounds.

The playgrounds should protect the health and welfare of small children from avoidable harm. However, the children's playgrounds have had fences removed and there are no current plans for their reinstatement. This now results in children under 5 being able to leave the playground easily and dogs defecating in the playgrounds.

If you click the comments of those who have signed you'll see that the same messages come up again and again from those who care for small children

• difficulty in seeing what children are doing due to lumps, bumps and play obstacles - making the new playground very stressful for those taking more than one small child.  Some parents are now stating they no longer visit unless they have another adult to help them keep an eye on the children.
• experiences of children straying out of the playground and running towards the road while Mum attending to second child 
• concerns about dogs  run in and out at will AND experiences of
• dog poo in the playground
• concerns about dogs (and dog owners) behaving aggressively towards small children (and parents)
• people are now taking their children to play in parks outside the borough where they know their children will be safe - because the playspace they visit has a fence

One, reported on the Tower Hamlets National Childbirth Trust Facebook page, is particularly worrying

A friend of mine was seriously assaulted, whilst pushing a pram, for asking someone to take their dog out of the new play ground in Victoria park. This can't happen again. Please sign this petition to support the fence being reinstated around the playground and share this link on your wall.

Please also come and participate in the Human Wall if a safe public play space for your children is  important to you.

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Safety concerns about new playgrounds in Victoria Park

This is about the new playgrounds in Victoria Park and the safety concerns identified by a large number of parents.

For more than a year large parts of the Park have been cordoned off as the Victoria Park Project swung (very slowly!) into action.  The project aims to regenerate the Park and its £12.4 million cost has been funded by the Council and via grants from the Big Lottery and Heritage Lottery funds.

Many families living in the Mile End area take their children to play in Victoria Park.  If you do you will find that:

• the parks are expanded
• there is a lot of exciting and challenging new play equipment
• visually, the playspace looks very impressive.

At the same time you will find that parents are finding it very difficult to take their small children to the park - without becoming very stressed.  Some parents are characterising it as nightmarish!

This is because:

• the playspaces have no fences - which means that it's incredibly easy for small children to get out  and dogs to get in
• very small children are wandering - and running - out of the playground very easily at various points along its perimeter
• large dogs run into the playspace frightening small children
• dogs not on leads are using the playspace as a toilet - with particular problems being experienced in the sandpit area
• the sightlines of parents are obscured in the V&A playspace due to the mounds and opaque play equipment.  Parents attending to one child cannot easily see if another child is still in the playspace or has wandered outside - towards the busy road which runs between the two parts of the park.  This problem would be much reduced if there was a fence which kept small children in the playspace.
• there's not a lot of play equipment for the under 5s.
• at the Pools Playground it appears there will be no barrier between the playground and the boating lake.  Children running down a slope and out of the playground will quickly run of space in which to stop themselves taking a tumble into the lake.
• The regeneration failed to renovate the One O'Clock Club in an appropriate way.  The shelter has been deemed not fit for purpose.  Current plans are to relocate it OUT OF THE PARK!  

So £12.3 million has been spent on Victoria Park but the facilities for children are now no longer functional and safe for small children........

Victoria and Alexandra Playground, Victoria Park
Timber log boundary to new playspace in the West of Victoria Park
(next to the road, Hackney side of the Pavilion)

The Friends of Victoria Park have been listening for a while now to the concerns being expressed by parents on their Facebook Page (which is only accessible to those who have an account with Facebook).

The Friends (and parents) have now started an ONLINE PETITION - see Put fences around Victoria Park Playgrounds (click the link to access it)

Victoria Park has recently undergone a £12.3 million refurbishment including the expansion and renewal of its playgrounds.


The playgrounds should protect the health and welfare of small children from avoidable harm. However, the children's playgrounds have had fences removed and there are no current plans for their reinstatement. This now results in children under 5 being able to leave the playground easily and dogs defecating in the playgrounds.


We ask that LBTH fence the playgrounds in Victoria Park for the safety of the children that play there.

The aim is to present the petition to the Council on 18th March 2012.  What's needed is a cast iron guarantee that the problems caused by the lack of fencing will be addressed very quickly.

30 signatures by people who live or work in Tower Hamlets are required to be able to petition Council.  

So far the petition has collected nearly 90 signatures in 48 hours - with every indication that more with be forthcoming.  Lots of those signing are commenting about the problems they have experienced.

[UPDATE:  The petition now has over 350 signatures on it as at 19 February 2012]

DO READ THE COMMENTS BY PARENTS - these are important for explaining why parents are so concerned.

DO PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION if you think it's important that the Victoria Park playspaces should protect the safety of small children.

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Mothers critical of lottery funded playground in Victoria Park

Many local parents have been very critical of the loss of playground provision in Victoria Park during the summer months and school holidays.  Local mothers are now describing the new lottery funded playground - which has no proper fence - as a "nightmare" and unusable.

This week there has been mounting criticism of the new park on the Friends of Victoria Park Facebook Page of the design of the new playground in the western part of the Park.  (The Facebook page is only accessible to people who are logged into Facebook).

The new playground design is part of the Council's  £12 million makeover of Victoria Park - in part funded by a £4.5m grant from the Lottery Fund

Criticisms of the Playground design

A view of the new children's playground in Victoria Park West
- green fencing around one o'clock club visible on right
- fencing in foreground does NOT surround the playground
- the proposed log barrier on the perimeter will be as low as 0.5 metres (19")
- the humps and solid playground equipment will obscure children from a parent's view at times

Mothers are stating that they will be unable to use the new playground.  

The main criticisms are:

• Poor quality communication and consultation with the Mothers who have used the previous playground on a regular basis.  Had it been done effectively the criticisms now being made would hopefully have influenced the design.  
• Many mothers now feel they were not given adequate information or an opportunity to provide comments on detailed design proposals
• Those who remember being consulted can remember no proposal to remove the fence.
• Those who have seen the new playground have assumed that the fence was still to be built - hence no comments until now.
• The new design has no effective fence around the playground.  You can see the plan of the playground here.  Many Mums (and other parents and childcarers) look after children of different ages.  It's essential that they can all be confident that ALL their children are in an enclosed and properly gated space where they can run about at will - without coming to any danger and without Mums having to develop eyes in the back of their heads.  A proper gated area surrounded by a fence provides this confidence that children cannot get out and dogs cannot get in.

• The main playground has no proper fence at all.  
• It is surrounded by a log barrier which is as low as 0.5 metres in places.  This height represents an exciting climbing opportunity for an agile small child - and can easily be jumped by a dog
• Only the 1 o'clock club for the tiny tots will have a high fence (see green fence in the above photo).  
• Dogs will be able to get into the playground very easily.  This is despite the fact that all playgrounds for children should be free of dog urine and excreta.  (see also below)

• Mothers and other child carers will be unable to have a clear view of their children at all times.  The nature and location of the new play equipment means that it obscures the view that mothers have of their children and what they are doing.  Some mothers think this will make the playground unsafe. 
• Dogs will be able to get into the new playground easily and consequently will be a major health and injury hazard for children in the playground   

• The log barrier represents no obstacle at all to a dog.  
• The reasons why dogs are hazardous and it is an imperative that dogs be kept out of the playground are summarised below in an extract from a statement by ROSPA and this document Dogs on Play Areas(PDF 241kb)
• The proposal that all dogs should be on leads in the western half of the park is very likely to be ineffective.  It will be IGNORED by stray dogs, people who cannot read, people who don't see the notices and anybody who is irresponsible and wants to carry on doing what they've always done.  
• It's been suggested that the only effective solution is the installation of cattle grids at all entrances to the park - as has been done at London Fields.  This would stop dogs being able to enter the park at will.

The problem
Dogs on children’s playgrounds represent a major health and injury hazard:

• over 350,000 tons of excrement is deposited each year

• over 100 people, mainly children, have eye diseases caught by swallowing the Toxocara egg each year. This is caused by the parasitic roundworm in dog faeces

• There is evidence that dogs also carry e.coli and hepatitis in their faeces.

• 1600 children are taken to hospital casualty departments with dog bites

ROSPA - Dogs on Play Areas

The contrast with school playgrounds

What is extremely odd is that the primary schools all have gated and secure high fences around their playgrounds.  This now seems to be a mandatory requirement for keeping children safe while in the Council's "in loco parentis" care.  However, when it comes to a playground for children in Victoria Park any concerns about their security and making it easy for parents to care for their children seem to have gone out the window.

We understand that Councillor Joshua Peck (ward Councillor for Bow West) is pursuing an enquiry arising out of residents' complaints about the lack of adequate provision of playspace for the children in the park during summer months - and the general poor project management of the renovation of the park.

Maybe he could now address the issue of the playground as well?

The best park in London?

In September Victoria Park won a Green Flag run by Keep Britain Tidy and came 8th in the People's Choice Competition for the best park in the UK.  The Council's website quotes the Mayor as follows

Mayor Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets Council, said: “With more than 100 parks and open spaces in the borough, Victoria Park is Tower Hamlets’ crown jewel. It is fantastic that our park has been recognised by the nation.
“It mixes a wealth of heritage with fantastic play spaces, sports facilities and vistas. Our restoration investment builds on these features, making sure that Victoria Park remains one of the country’s best loved open spaces for years to come.”

Mayor Rahman's opinion of Victoria Park seems to be at variance with the views of at least some of the local parents.  Perhaps he should meet with some of the local Mothers and hear their views about what it was like for their kids during the summer months when both playgrounds were closed.  Maybe he could also read or hear their views about the "fantastic play space" on offer in Victoria Park.

A link to this blog post will be sent to the Lottery Fund - which has part funded the improvements, the body which organises the Green Flag awards,  the Mayor's Office and Councillor Peck.  MERA will be inviting their comments.

Friends of Victoria Park Public Meeting

There is a public meeting of the Friends of Victoria Park on 8th November where issues related to the Children's Playground (and other matters relating to theVictoria Park redevelopment) can be raised.


The meeting is in the Meeting Room at St Paul's Church in St Stephen's Road between 18:30 and 20:30.  (Apologies - that link is only visible to people with a Facebook account and who are logged into Facebook)

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