De Beauvoir’s ‘active and organised’ residents and community groups do not have enough affordable places to meet, according to a recent study.
The research, authored by Marina Pappa, as part of her MA in Service Design at University of Arts London, sought input from dozens of residents, organisers and landlords. It found better access to communal space to be the number one priority of respondents when asked how their community could be improved.
“Reasonable rent should clearly be paid… but many feel current charges to be excessive.”
Kate McFarlane, Chair of the De Beauvoir Association (DBA)
This is despite the abundance of landlords – such as The Benyon Estate, The Mill Co. and Hackney Council – with access to space which is not used to its potential, the study claims. It also comes just weeks after St Peter’s Church in De Beauvoir hiked the cost of hiring out its spaces, which are popular venues for community events in the area, from £50 to £80 per hour.
“Access to affordable space for all groups is paramount,” said Kate McFarlane, Chair of the De Beauvoir Association (DBA), a voluntary organisation dedicated to supporting and connecting the De Beauvoir neighbourhood. “Those places bring people together, which is what a functioning community is all about.”
“Reasonable rent should clearly be paid,” she added, “but many feel current charges to be excessive.”
The study’s working solution to the issue is a digital platform called We Are Here. This platform would, Pappa argues, enable “residents, club members and landlords to reflect on what they are willing to offer to help facilitate activities and locations that allow people to come together.”
We Are Here’s ultimate incarnation is still under consideration, with the most likely manifestation a “neighbourhood guide that supports residents to access and make use of De Beauvoir spaces,” according to Pappa. “It will list spaces to rent out, spaces to enjoy free events, or places where people can just relax.”
Pappa’s solution is similar to the Hackney Space Bank proposal included in Hackney Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy 2018-2028. The proposal, published five years ago, pledged the Council would “work with the voluntary sector and local businesses to… ensure that residents and community groups can access, for free or at low cost, the spaces they need to meet and develop.”
Responding to a request for comment regarding progress made on its Space Bank Proposal, Hackney Council said: “We’re working on ensuring all of our buildings provide the support needed by our local businesses, social enterprises, voluntary, community and third sector tenants.
“Our community halls also provide affordable space for booking, and are all available to book on a new website, which has seen bookings grow by 35 per cent since it was introduced.”
Study’s author inspired by her own struggle to make community connections
Pappa, who grew up in Brazil before moving to De Beauvoir eight years ago, claimed that it was her own feelings of isolation that prompted her study into the community. “In Sao Paolo, I felt like I had a really tight network, which I think I took for granted,” she said. “I didn’t realise how important that was in my life, and how difficult it is to meet people in a new place until I moved here.”
Pappa told the Hackney Post that the final phase of her research is to consult more De Beauvoir residents on what they want and is looking for people to answer a survey: “I want this to be as collaborative and community led as possible… the more voices and opinions it reflects, the better.”
Residents can answer Marina Pappa’s survey here.
