Next Monday Council officers are recommending Hackney buys £63,000 of scaffolding to erect in Ashwin Street, for health and safety, in case bits start falling off its buildings. There's no price given for the cost of repairs to stop that happening. Or even any independent professional survey to be seen. Hackney are also recommending the outright sale of the buildings, privately, with vacant possession, for "best consideration". Everyone there's been told to get out. (It does sound like a stich up. Ed.)
If you wanted to read the Hackney Council Cabinet Report, with more about the sell off and the £63,000 of scaffolding which could be arriving soon, you can't. It's not published on Hackney's website. There's only rogue advance copies circulating marked Supplementary Papers II.
Update: Hackney have published the report. It's here
True, scaffolding is not really news in Ashwin Street, We've seen it before in 2010, with Four Deaths and a Burial, when Hackney scaffolded and demolished the heritage terrace at 2-8 Ashwin Street. Hackney said it didn't realise that it had owned them since1977 as they gradually fell into dereliction . That site is now up for sale too. And the one opposite, destroyed by bombs in World War II ( I'm getting a sense of deja vue here. Ed.)
The management of Dalston's heritage and cultural buildings, including the Ashwin Street "Cultural Quarter", has been one of neglect, studied decay, sale and demolition.
Edwin Horne's surviving 1870 Ashwin Street buildings are a fine legacy in Dalston. They should be revealed and cherished, not concealed by scaffolding as if awaiting some mortal fate.
(It's rumoured a load of scaffolding has fallen off the back of a lorry locally. Anybody else heard anything? Ed.)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave comments that will add to the debate! We will not publish comments which are abusive or repetitive.
If we do not publish your comment and you are unhappy, please email info@opendalston.net with your contact details.