• DESPITE warnings of increased anti-social behaviour from residents and the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team, they’ve now ripped up the antique railings of Oriel Place – another bit of old Hampstead vandalised.

When I say “they” it is hard to establish who “they” are because “they” all deny it’s them.

After deciding the 100-year-old railings were not attractive enough to keep and being strongly in favour of their removal, Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum chair ignored the warning letter from the SNT, yet when challenged tells us we should be holding Camden Council to account. I suppose that’s called delegation.

Meanwhile Cllr Stephen Stark, also dead keen on the £100k project, assured me “if it does go drastically wrong, we can always replace the railings”. Why do I not feel reassured?

For some reason the Hampstead BID, too, is laying claim to the project on its website: “Even the most carefully designed space may not manage to design out every issue, but we work to minimise them as much as possible through the design.…”

We? Since when was the BID responsible for town planning? Last I heard, local residents didn’t even get to vote for the BID and now it’s rearranging the entire neighbourhood.

The overriding point is all that was needed was a lick of paint and someone to open and shut the gates but with so many parties involved, who do we hold to account for the removal of another part of Hampstead’s traditional antique street furniture?

And who takes the blame when Oriel Place Garden turns into a hang-out for drunks, junkies and vagrants? It’s obvious. It’s definitely “them” wot dunnit.

SEBASTIAN WOCKER
Editor, The Hampstead Village Voice