Town Hall seeks opinions on ageing well, antisocial behaviour and plans for Shoreditch Park

Hackney Council is asking for feedback from residents on its vision for an age-friendly borough, renewed curbs on antisocial behaviour including street drinking, and its £2 million plans for Shoreditch Park.

The Town Hall has recently launched three separate consultations to gather the thoughts of locals on these topics over the coming few weeks.

The first, published on 1 October to mark International Day for Older Persons, invites residents, businesses, charities and volunteers to give their views on the council’s draft Ageing Well Strategy.

The five-year plan, crafted with the help of 400 residents, is aimed at better supporting the borough’s older people through a range of services, policies, and specialist care where needed.

Cllr Yvonne Maxwell, mayoral adviser for older people, said: “This strategy is about catering for the very wide range of people aged 55-plus through age-friendly policies, building a community that values and includes older people, benefits from their contributions and supports them in their later years.”

The Ageing Well Strategy Consultation closes on 30 October.

The Town Hall’s community safety team is currently asking for feedback on plans to renew two separate public space protection orders (PSPOs) that prohibit antisocial street drinking and help to ensure that people keep control of their dogs. 

The Alcohol in Public Spaces PSPO allows police or authorised officers to ask people to stop drinking and to confiscate their drinks if they are acting antisocially. The measure does not ban drinking in public spaces.

The Dog Control PSPO gives the council the power to prevent dogs from entering specific areas such as school playgrounds, and to ensure that they are kept on leads. It also makes it an offence for owners not to pick up dog waste in areas that are open to the air and accessible to the public.

Community safety boss Cllr Caroline Selman said: “These targeted, limited measures are there to make sure everyone can enjoy our public spaces safely. 

“They are not outright bans, but ensure that the police or council officers can ask someone to pour away their drink and make sure dogs are kept on leads if these activities are bothering others.

“They also give the council the ability to ensure dogs do not enter specific spaces where there are children, such as playgrounds.”

The two PSPO consultations (links above) close on 31 October.

Residents are also being invited to have a say on proposals to improve Shoreditch Park, including new sports facilities, a better play area, and more trees, hedges and flowers to increase biodiversity.

Landscape architects LUC have developed designs following a consultation last year that heard from 1,600 people.

Locals are now being asked for feedback on those designs, and also on the naming of a new public square outside the revamped Britannia Leisure Centre. 

Public realm chief Cllr Jon Burke said: “We’re committed to investing in our parks and green spaces because we know the transformative effect they can have on physical and mental health.”

Burke, who says the response to the previous consultation shows the “value the community places on their local park”, added: “We’ve now developed designs based on local people’s views – creating a greener, safer and more biodiverse space that we hope will reinvigorate the park for future generations. I’d urge local people to have their say on the plans.”

The Shoreditch Park consultation runs until 11 November.

For a full list of all consultations taking place in Hackney, visit consultation.hackney.gov.uk