2020-04-29 15:59:49 +0100
To: Secretary of State for Education, Hackney Council, Hackney Learning Trust
Playgrounds Not For Sale! Let's save Shoreditch Park Primary School Playground
Please, do not change the use of Shoreditch Park Primary School land.
We must save the School Playground with a football pitch.
We are against selling off the School Playground to build 481 flats and Early Years Centre, as the School has already had a good Nursery and Reception class facilities.
Our kids, who are current and future pupils of our outstanding School, should not be the victims of the growing demand for housing, paying with their health, development, privacy and childhood.
Why is this important?
Hackney Council is redeveloping the Britannia Leisure Centre site and takes land from the Shoreditch Park Primary School to build a 16 storey tower block and five-storey block as a part of the development of 481 new flats remunerating the School with 2 million pounds and Early Years Centre that is not the most desirable thing for a School and will require drastic growth of the School budget.
As key stakeholders of this project, we have three main arguments against it:
(1) the pressure on social infrastructure, services and transport in our area will grow significantly because of the enlargement to our local community on thousands of people from 481 new apartments;
(2) our kids will suffer from constant stress at their outstanding School 5-days a week. During almost three years, hundreds of kids will spend 30% of their time next to a huge construction site. They will hear the noise of the machinery, breathe polluted air and get an everyday dose of dust.
(3) respecting the residential property prices in London and our local area, we understand that the commercial benefits of this project are much more impressive than announced to the public. 400 apartments (out of 481) will be sold commercially. That is why the price tag of 2 million pounds is not a fair assessment of the deal.
Do you know that...
- A 2007 Danish study showed that fresh air ventilation rates are linked to pupil performance. In a study of 2,111 Spanish schoolchildren, time spent in (not near) green spaces reduced behavioural and emotional problems, reducing hyperactivity and improving ADHD scores. A six-year American study on 905 Massachusetts elementary schools found pupils in schools with more ‘greenness’ scored higher in standardised tests.
- According to Tall Building Study 2018 by London Borough of Islington, "...tall buildings usually overshadow and overlook their immediate surroundings. Furthermore, wind funnelling, shadow patterns and sunlight reflection can create disturbing features and have a negative impact on the local microclimate."
- As stated by The Guardian, Hackney has faced one of the biggest house price changes of the century - 339.0%. From £143,000 in November 1999 to £627,924 in November 2019.
A simple multiplication of 481 flats x £627,924 is £302 031,444
Our hashtag is #saveSPPSplayground. Our deadline was February 20, 2020. However, since our case will be considered by Secretary of State for Education for the next 28 days, we will continue our campaign.
As genuine optimists, we believe that we can save the Shoreditch Park Primary School playground.
It's worth trying.
About Shoreditch Park Primary School
Shoreditch Park Primary School is a two-form entry outstanding primary school in Hackney, maintained by the local authority. The School has 408 pupils, aged 3 - 11. The large majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Many are disadvantaged.
About Parents Community of Shoreditch Park Primary School
We are a united team of parents and carers of pupils who attend Shoreditch Park Primary School. Our community has hundreds of members with a core team of 13 volunteers.
How it will be delivered
Our Community is ready to deliver our signatures in person, via email or using any other relevant channel. The main point - our voices must be heard.
