‘It’s a great place to live, absolutely’

29 February 2008

High up on the fifth floor of Robin Hood Gardens, resident Shirley Magnitsky cuts short a relaxing Saturday afternoon bath to set the record straight about “the regeneration nonsense” planned for her estate.

The 62-year-old minicab controller has lived in her split-level maisonette for the past 13 years, “When I was decanted from my previous home, I could have had a brand new house anywhere in Tower Hamlets,” she says. “But I chose to live here.”

“Look out my kitchen window, what do you see? Trees, grass, very pleasant surroundings. It’s a great place to live, absolutely. This is the most peaceful part of the borough with plenty of facilities.”

She is scathing about the Blackwall Reach Regeneration Project, which covers Robin Hood Gardens, and blames poor maintenance for many of the buildings’ problems. “It’s got nothing to do with the design. The homes are run down because the council won’t spend money on them. This is a prime spot. That’s why they want to build 3,000 more homes here. The whole thing is about location and money.”

She says that many residents share her views but that most were hoodwinked into favouring demolition, either because the council’s consultants linked demolition to the promise of new homes, or because those who signed up thought it was the only way to guarantee their rights as council tenants.

Magnitsky’s fears are confirmed by local councillor Phil Briscoe. While not a fan of the estate’s architecture, he argues that its poor maintenance, which has helped give Robin Hood Gardens a bad image, is now being used as a reason for demolition.

“Underlying the whole exercise is the desire to get as much density on the site as possible and the consultation was geared to that end,” Briscoe explains. “English Partnerships wants to clear the site as quickly as possible to increase density.”

He is critical of the current plan to put in 3,000 residential units, some in high rise towers. “It’s not good planning as far as I am concerned; we already have 8,000 units in the pipeline for the area. There has to be a limit to how much we can squeeze in. There’s a real danger of overdoing it and not creating a sustainable community in the long term.

“There are significant problems with the estate: dampness, loose cables. These are maintenance issues partly, but I’m not backing demolition. I just want the best solution for the tenants, and new build would be unlikely to meet the same space standards.”

And while this part of the capital has been mistakenly written off as an urban dead zone, Robin Hood Gardens now stands on some of the most valuable land in this part of Docklands. With excellent public transport connections — it’s five minutes walk from the nearest DLR Station, four stops to Stratford and 15 minutes walk to Canary Wharf — it is not difficult to see why English Partnerships might be eyeing up the site for private sector redevelopment.

But this is also Poplar, the true heart of London’s East End. While it may not have an organic butcher or gastropub, the area has a rich built environment that doubles as an accurate record of its history.

As well as the looming towers of Canary Wharf, the area is home to several landmark buildings, a reminder of better days when it was a thriving, close-knit community supported by local philanthropists such as shipbuilder Richard Green, whose statue stands in front of the art deco swimming pool on East India Dock Road, now closed and awaiting a new saviour.

Adjacent to Robin Hood Gardens and surrounded by generous landscaped grounds is Charles Hollis’s handsome All Saints Church, built in 1821 by merchant residents. Opposite All Saints DLR station and in front of a well proportioned public square, is the David Adjaye Idea Store with the bustling Chrisp Street Market beyond.

Nevertheless, on the kind of grey February day that London does so well, Robin Hood Gardens looks tired and downbeat, mainly because of its monotonous concrete dressing. But contrary to its image, it’s not covered in graffiti, there doesn’t appear to be any hoodies around and there are no burned out cars.

Despite the shabbiness, quality shines through. Generous windows dominate the main elevations and the dual-aspect maisonettes enjoy stunning views over the Lower Lea Valley in one direction and Canary Wharf in the other.

But it’s not just dreamy architects who understand the underlying quality of the Smithsons’ scheme. Fifth floor resident Magnitsky is passionate about the estate’s design. “When this was first built it was very modern and people were fighting to get in here. It was very cleverly built,” she says.

“The way it has upside down maisonettes, you never hear noise from anyone else. And the nice thing is that every room has plenty of light — one wall is all windows and you’re not looking into someone else’s house. I don’t think these people who are proposing thousands of new homes for this site have a clue.”

Aktar Hussain of the Robin Hood Garden’s Residents Association says the problem is that the people on the estate feel they have been abandoned. “People want to live in the same community but they want a better building.

“Some residents don’t treat it with care, but it’s not the design, it’s how they feel the council is treating them. The feeling is no one cares. Thirty per cent want to move out. It really needs an injection of capital, but most people don’t have a clue what the council is suggesting.”

Hussain says the park needs to be redesigned because despite all the space, it’s underused. “That space is badly planned and room could be made for other facilities: some shops, a café, social enterprise spaces with computers, places to do homework.”

Taking a walk around the estate we meet Mahad, 12, and his friends nine-year-old Hamza and 11-year-old Joshua, all of whom have no doubt that this is not just their home — it’s special. They are unimpressed by the plans for demolition.

“The council just say, ‘we want that demolished’, but they are not thinking,” says Mahad. “They’re taking down the culture of London. It has maintenance problems but it shouldn’t be knocked down.”

Hamza is next to stand up for his home patch. “I made a speech at school about the environment. Robin Hood Gardens was my example. The trees here soak up the carbon dioxide from the motorway.” Then Joshua pipes up: “There’s really good provisions here. Two stations, supermarkets, our school is nearby. They shouldn’t knock it down.”

But the last word goes to Magnitsky. “These spacious landings were designed by the architects to be a specific width so kids could play on it safely. All the neighbours come out, all the children intermix. They all run along and play. You don’t realise the impact small things like this have on your everyday life.”