Lambeth Council has been accused of dodging its duties after allegedly getting residents to clean up new parks that it set-up on streets, while others say it has brought the community together.
Lambeth Council is creating 25 so-called parklets across the borough. The pocket-sized parks, which generally include seating and planters, are formed from old street parking spaces.
But the miniature gardens have come under fire from some residents who are unhappy they remove essential parking and who claim the parklets have become a magnet for litter and antisocial behaviour.
Residents can apply to the council to set-up a parklet on their street. But as part of the arrangement, they have to sign a contract agreeing to clean it daily and clear away any litter.
In practice residents say the parklets are often neglected and they have to clean-up food packets, beer cans and even vomit from the gardens themselves.
Mr Wilson, owner of Black and White café on Atlantic Road in Brixton, said he was fed-up of having to clear rubbish from the parklet outside his restaurant.
The 69-year-old said: “What we find is a lot of people drink and mess up inside them. There’s always stuff in them like just now there’s a newspaper in the plants. I have to go and clean it up myself.
“It does not work at all. Some people are sick down there and they leave their bottles and cans. No-one comes and cleans up this one. There’s one down the road that gets cleaned up, but not here.”
Photo by Robert Firth
Mr Wilson said that business had also suffered as a result of the council removing parking spaces, previously used by customers visiting his restaurant, in order to create the parklets.
He added: “It’s really bad for business. People used to park outside and come in and buy the food then take it away. They can’t do that now. But of course the rent we pay doesn’t change.”
Writing on Twitter, another Lambeth resident moaned: “The council are expecting residents to maintain these [parklets] under the terms of an agreement. No payments. All for free. Why would anyone take this on for no financial recognition. Taking in, putting out tables and chairs. Clearing up vomit as was on the Railton LTN [Low Traffic Neighbourhood].”
Under the council contracts, residents who take responsibility for parklets must agree to “maintain and keep the parklet clean and tidy on a day to day basis by removing litter, grime and debris from the parklet decking, seating and other parklet elements.”
They must also “keep greenery healthy by watering plants and maintaining vegetation; remove any blockage to the highway or pavement to make sure that people can use the parklet at any time [and] remove any debris that may stop water drainage along the kerb and decking beneath the parklet surface,” among other duties.
For other residents in the borough, the parklets have been a welcome addition to their streets, especially for those without large gardens.
Brixton resident Alicia, 33, said she enjoyed sitting out in them and enjoying the sun.
She said: “I think it’s great. I occasionally use the ones on the street. We don’t get much sun in the garden in the evening and so I sit in there instead.
“I see other people using them all the time. It had a community feel, especially when people are sat out in the sun.”
Jon Bromwich, who has managed a parklet outside his home in Brixton with his wife Diana since 2021, said that his had become a meeting point for the community.
Writing about his experience in a blog on the Living Streets website, a charity that promotes walking, he said: “After four months the parklet had become a ‘destination’ as people taking lockdown walks headed in our direction.
“Sometimes they just sat and enjoyed the space, other times they just smiled and laughed and chatted and moved on.
“A few people brought drinks with them and then we began making tea. Rattray Parklet made it onto Google Maps.
“In March, Sarah Everard was murdered on her walk back home to Brixton, and the parklet became a focal point for the community to express their sadness and remember her.”
But Tim Briggs, former Conservative councillor for Clapham Common, said parklets were unsightly and a waste of cash.
He said: “Parklets are ugly, a waste of money, they remove valuable car parking space, and end up as urinals for drunk people.
“The Labour councillors want to pretend they have community ‘buy-in’ by getting people to design and look after parklets. This will never work – parklets make streets look like a rubbish tip.”
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “Parklets are a great way to create spaces where people can meet, socialise, and make neighbourhoods more pleasant by increasing greenery.
“Parklets can play a huge role in bringing people together whether it’s to sit down and have a chat or work together to tend new community gardens.
“It is sad that some people thoughtlessly litter parklets and council staff litter pick them twice a week to keep them clean.
“We are working with residents and local businesses to establish our borough wide parklet programme, and will continue to work with the community to make sure they are getting the best out of them.”
