Sunday, 8^th November 2020

Dear Editor,

Your newspaper is very much appreciated, but the coverage of Forest Gate could go deeper. The article on the Durning Hall proposals seems to be largely a repeat of existing PR, and it misses out the main issue that locals are worried about. Forest Gate has a shortage of independent venues for community groups to hire, and most are religious buildings and pubs which some local people find off-putting.

Durning Hall provided space for hire at reasonable rates in a building acceptable to all communities, including perhaps the only suitable large hall. In the new plans, it is no longer a community centre: no space for hire, and the only community projects are focused on children and youth.

There has been a large amount of anger and concern in the Forest Gate Facebook groups, but Aston-Mansfield have not even mentioned the issue. They intend to deprive the neighbourhood of a vital asset, when the centre could easily run projects for young people without becoming an exclusive resource for them.

This is the role of community journalism: to explore those aspects the official story leaves out. I recommend joining local Facebook and Nextdoor for unfiltered access to local concerns (the Low Traffic Neighbourhood is another one you’ll want to hear the debate on). A lot of insight can be had.

Lia Rees
Earlham Grove, E7

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