Tower Hamlets: Children stop play space from being dismantled

Children successful eastbound London rushed retired of their homes to halt a "safer streets" blockade being ripped retired by the council.

Parents gathering extracurricular Chisenhale Primary School successful Bow accidental they were fixed small announcement of the "pop-up playground" being removed.

The standoff resulted successful a impermanent triumph for the families who privation the portion to enactment successful place.

Residents person present been offered a gathering to sermon alternatives.

The play abstraction is portion of the safer streets strategy which allows lone parents of schoolchildren, contiguous residents and bluish badge holders to thrust successful the country astatine schoolhouse drop-off times.

Parents were archetypal told of plans to region the country connected 21 October, conscionable earlier fractional term. Last week, contractors arrived connected Thursday greeting to find children climbing connected apical of the barricades successful protestation and the abstraction was near intact.

The contractors returned to decorativeness the occupation connected Wednesday night, with children moving retired successful their pyjamas and raincoats to fend them off.

To the cheer of protesters, 1 kid laic down connected a skateboard earlier the workers gave up trying to dismantle the planters, said genitor and campaigner Sarah Gibbons.

"It happened truthful accelerated - we were shocked to spot them travel retired to instrumentality it distant successful the screen of darkness, everyone rushed retired to effort and halt them," she said.

"It was led by the kids; they are precise alert not lone of information contented but besides however atrocious the contamination is successful this area."

As good arsenic being a play space, the area, which is painted with agleam colours, is utilized for assemblage events.

Year 3 pupil astatine Chisenhale, Charlotte, said: "We bask playing determination earlier during and aft school."

The postulation bid was enactment successful spot successful April 2021 but recently elected politician Lutfur Rahman has allowed it to lapse. He has antecedently said helium wants to region each barriers and timed closures successful Tower Hamlets.

Tower Hamlets Council has been approached for comment.

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