Tag: Roman Road

Recruiting babies in the war against anti-social behaviour


Babies of the Borough

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about being watched by larger-than-life sized babies as I wander down the high street at night; but painting security shutters with the faces of real babies is an intriguing idea which might offer an answer to calming down anti-social behaviour on the high street.  

Could a baby stop a riot?

The idea hit the headlines last year when shopkeepers on a street in Woolwich had their shutters painted with the faces of  local babies by a team of  graffiti artists.  The street had been hit by looters in the riots of 2011 and owners were willing to try anything which might calm down tension in the area.   The idea is based on the principle that seeing babies’ faces stimulates a caring response in the brain  – hopefully acting as an antidote to more  violent or destructive impulses.  I guess it also helps to make the area look cared-for and connect it to its local community – a small visual nudge in the right direction.  The campaign was run by comms agency, OgilvyChange, there’s  a bit more info here.

I heard about the Babies of the Borough campaign thanks to someone in the group trying to revitalise the Roman Road.  We have more than our fair share of ugly, graffiti-ed shop shutters on the Roman, and once the shops shut – especially on dark, winter evenings – it can feel pretty hostile.

Would it work on Roman Road?

There is official Tower Hamlets guidance on what security shutters in the borough should look like:

Shopfront displays that are well-lit and visible after hours deter vandalism and theft and encourage people to use the street at night. Shopping areas become more attractive and livelier, making the Borough a better place to be.

For these reasons, the Council encourages the use of open mesh type roller shutter grilles, or perforated steel that is powder coated in a colour and curved to discourage graffiti. For best results these can be
set behind the glass.

For environmental reasons I’m not wild about the idea of shops being lit-up through the night, even if it does make the street less threatening. And the idea that the shutters should be behind the glass was ridiculed at  a recent public meeting – for the very obvious reason that while they might be able to protect the inside of the shop from burglars, they won’t stop anyone heaving a brick though the glass  just for the hell of it.  So, I wonder if babies might be the answer?

Rescuing the Roman Road

Mary Portas comes to the Roman Road

I’m not generally a fan of reality television.  What you usually get is a condensed version of events, following a story arc which goes something like:  stage 1. Presenter meets people with a problem.  2. Conflict, personality clashes, things start going badly (ad break) 3. Recap – presenter worries that he/she can’t turn things round this time 4. Presenter comes up with plan to turn things round – will it work?  (ad break) 5. Plan works.  6. Final triumph, admissions all round that it was worth the heartache along the way.  7. End credits

But even knowing all that.  Even with my most cynical head on, I can’t help hoping really hard that the magical Mary Portas effect will somehow be able to  help the Roman Road.

One upon a time on the Roman Road…

Welcome to the Roman Road
The entrance to the Roman Road

The Roman Road, used to be one of the attractions of  living in this part of the east end.  You could do your everyday shopping in the supermarket then mooch up and down the Road and along the market where you could get everything from children’s toys to vinyl records, a wrought iron table to a photograph album,  a packet of pins to a table lamp.  There were 38 fruit and veg stalls on the Roman Road market twenty years ago – I know this because Paul, who owns one of the last two still there told me so this afternoon, when he announced that he’s packing up and leaving the market at Christmas.

Most people think that the market started to decline when the supermarket shut down and people had to go elsewhere to buy the basics.  Now what you can mainly get on the Roman Road is cheap stuff and expensive credit.  Half a dozen pawnbrokers have opened up, there are several pound shops, some payday loan companies and a couple of betting shops.  There are some signs of life even now and some great new shops bucking the trend, but generally it’s a sad shadow of what it used to be.  Enter Mary P…

A ray of hope?

A small team of volunteers (which I’ve recently joined) put in a bid to be one of the so-called Portas Pilots – a scheme to revitalise the nation’s declining high streets.  They didn’t get the money, but they have won a smaller sum as one of DCLG’s Town Teams.  There are modest plans for events to promote the market and the shops in the Road in the run up to Christmas and, hopefully, that will build some momentum and things will keep going next year.  Meanwhile, Mary Portas seems to have taken an interest in the Roman and has been spotted several times, filming for a project she’s working on  for next year.

Let’s hope it works.  There are lots of examples of how markets can support their local neighbourhoods – Broadway Market is one local example, Brixton Market seems to be going from strength to strength, Columbia Road is on  the mainstream tourist trail these days.  But they need to be cherished or they fall into disrepair – I hope we’re not too late.