Hackney Marshes – more than meets the eye

Do you think Hackney Marshes are (only) about football, empty or underutilised?

On Saturday 12 March, Homerton Library hosted a free event: ‘Hackney Marshes: more than meets the eye’. It provided an opportunity for local people to discuss the future of the Marshes and other green spaces. It was particularly timely, given the recent masterplans devised for the area, and of course the changes brought about by the Olympic developments.

The event was part of a three-year project called Justice in the Green. Conducted by researchers at the Development Planning Unit, University College London, the action research-oriented initiative involves MSc students, UCL staff, alumni and community members in the investigation and mapping of different local perspectives.

Of course, the use of the Marshes goes far beyond football. Local residents and community groups regularly use them and surrounding green areas in different ways: for children’s unstructured play; public artworks; food growing and land cultivation; others simply prefer to appreciate the natural tranquility of the Marshes, spending time to explore the area or simply passing through it.

However some of these activities and the groups and individuals behind them frequently remain hidden from view – often there is limited knowledge of other groups, with many carrying on independently of one another. The researchers suggested that the groups concerned would benefit from sharing knowledge and collaborating on common issues.

They also found was that the masterplans for the area were not always in line with the needs and aspirations of the users they spoke to, and suggested that if groups worked together this could provide a more effective means for residents and community groups to engage more proactively with the council regarding planning issues and decision-making.

The findings of the research were presented to community representatives in January 2011 and subsequently a number of short films capturing different local perspectives were produced, which feature on the Justice in the Green website. These fed into the creation of a web-based interactive map of the area including community testimonies and other forms of evidence collected on the ground.

During the event participants were introduced to this innovative new way of online social networking: residents uploaded their details, videos and opinions complete with a clear reference on the map. Researchers hope that as more and more people populate the map over time it will serve as a valuable online directory of the whereabouts of different groups and individuals present in and around the Hackney Marshes, and display the breadth of activities taking place. This in turn could help strengthen local people’s say in what happens, and improve everyone’s experience of the Marshes.

More information from Justice in the Green.