The Grenfell Action Group is proud to be able to reproduce some beautiful and heartfelt comments on the current lamentable state of North Kensington penned by local resident, long time social campaigner and ex-Chair of the Kensington and Chelsea Social Council, Mary Gardiner:
“North Kensington has been and is losing public spaces, services and facilities at a rapid rate.
The latest under threat are North Kensington Library, Kensington College and Canalside House.
Add this to recent losses, Lighthouse, Isaac Newton Centre, 140 Ladbroke Grove (Advice and Information Centre), Inn on the Green, Flyover, lots of under fives services, charges for playcentres, EPIC swallowing up Adventure Playgrounds and pubs being turned into flats and you get a dismal picture.
The rate and type of gentrification locally is disgusting, and based on a council that values money and land values more than it’s amazingly vibrant and diverse local community
We stand to lose so much more just at the moment, there will be no place for our sons, daughters and grandchildren to live in this bowl that is being constructed.
I have always loved living and working round here, and was proud to call it my home.
I now feel like a scrounger because I was fortunate enough to get social housing when there was more of it.
I feel as if I have helped North Ken to become a better, richer (culturally) and more diverse place, now I feel, as many locals do, as if I am being wiped off the map.
Westway23, Grenfell Action Group and Kill the Housing Bill are leading on bringing us together as much as possible.
Join or follow to keep up, go to as many Kill the Housing Bill meetings as you can, attend meetings at the Town Hall (June 29th) where the petition against the library change of use will be heard.
We need local people who love this area for it’s quirkiness, it’s vitality, it’s diversity, it’s history and it’s mix of housing to stand up and be counted.
Let’s see what we can preserve of our heritage before it is too late!”
The Grenfell Action Group applauds the above sentiments and we promise that we will do all we can to continue to fight against the heartless, fascist neo-con asset strippers at RBKC. We encourage all our supporters to sign the ‘Save the North Kensington Library’ petition, join the Facebook group, attend the next protest meeting outside the library at 6.30pm on Monday 23rd May and join us at the Town Hall on Wednesday 29th June when we will be letting the Council know that our community is not for sale:
Grenfell Action Group 