Beautifying Alleys

[memespring]

I live on Electric Lane and me an my neighbours are currently trying to beautify/tart-up the alley that runs behind our flats in an attemp to deter people using them for smoking crack etc.

Anyone have any suggestions? Or know where I can get hold of cheap/free plants in Brixton?

I think there's an alley of Cold Hourbour Lane that has done a simular thing. As has the guy on Brighton Terrace.

[Mrs Magpie]

I suspect whatever the alley looks like crackheads will use it regardless, however, plants with an automatic watering system that spurts water from above at random moments has worked well for one Brixton venue I know.

[IntoStella]

Is that between Electric Ave and Atlantic Road?

I wish you luck, though I'm not sure how much success you'll have.

The watering system thing does work.

I also suggest you start up and maintain dialogue with the Town Centre Community Police Officer, Gerry O'Neill.

[memespring]

Is that between Electric Ave and Atlantic Road?

Thats the one. Weve been talking to the Police and Community Safety people from the Council. They are very helpfull, but there's not much they can do to help - there's very little funding for securing/sprucing-up non-council alleys. So its down to us to do it all ourselves.


Ive tried teh water thing - effective and fun (assuming you hide). :)

[Bob]

Are you talking about beautifying an alley off the lane or on the lane itself? If off the lane is it gated?

My guess is that regardless if you can't control the access in some way the only thing that might work is one of the heat activated spotlights you can buy for not that much from hardware shops (30 quid?). I've got the occasional person smoking crack in my front yard, though they seem to have found a way of getting into the bit that isn't covered by the sensor.

Getting rid of any shelves or things that can be sat on is probably an idea too.

Good luck. :)

[memespring]

Only the alley (although the lane could do with a bit of a clean up too).

I wanted to try and get some spiky plants from somewhere and put them in the palces people normally sit. But no one seems to sell them.

I think I might have to do a raid on Tesco car park at night and steal the ones from there. :)

[Giles]

If the alleyway is "non council", who does it belong to? If its yours, or your and your neighbours, can't you buy a gate or something?

Giles..

[memespring]

It has a gate, but gets repeatedly brocken down or picked (3 times on sat morning).

The alley belongs to one of the shops who have no interest in doing anything. We are looking into getting it improved but will cost upto a grand. So i'm looking for simple improvements to do untill we raise the cash.

[Giles]

A place I used to live had this backyard that got unwelcome intruders using it as a toilet, for doing drugs in, etc.

I put one of those lights with an infra-red thingie on the wall (high up so they couldn't easily vandalise the light) and it deterred them. It's less easy to do dodgy shit with a halogen spotlight illuminating you!

Homebase even sell one that has a radio buzzer on, so you get a bleep from the remote bit every time the light is triggered.

Giles..

[Bob]

It has a gate, but gets repeatedly brocken down or picked (3 times on sat morning).

The alley belongs to one of the shops who have no interest in doing anything. We are looking into getting it improved but will cost upto a grand. So i'm looking for simple improvements to do untill we raise the cash.

Surely a decent lock doesn't cost that much? Or are you going to have a full on iron gate & frame fitted?

For the sitting stuff you could put down knobbly tiles / concretey things that make it uncomfortable to sit on.... or concrete in broken glass as an extreme...

[Minnie_the_Minx]

or anti-grafitti paint :D

[memespring]

Pics here: http://www.memespring.co.uk/photos/electric_alley/index.html

(Youll have to imagine the piles of rubish, broken bikes, rubble and syringes that were in the alley untill we cleaned it this sunday as I forgot to take the 'before' pic)

See what I mean about needing beautifying? Keep teh ideas comming :)

[JFC]

some local christains kids from the local bastist church has painted a murial on one of our local allys last week, it is good, some pics skatebaorders and stuff, no jesus type stukk which is good

Brightens the place up though we never used to have crack heads down there

[lang rabbie]

Not an immediate solution, but I think the solid metal panels on the backs of the gates are part of the problem - if the locks aren't working, then the closed gates allow the crackheads to do their thing pretty much unseen. Any chance of getting the panels replaced with some sort of heavy stainless steel mesh which would still prevent access to the locks/mailboxes?

[Diarmuid Gavin mode]
You could then use vertical panels of matching mesh as support for plants in troughs, both against the walls, and offset at right angles to create some more private areas further down the alley.
[/Diarmuid Gavin mode]

[memespring]

some local christains kids from the local bastist church has painted a murial on one of our local allys last week, it is good, some pics skatebaorders and stuff, no jesus type stukk which is good

Brightens the place up though we never used to have crack heads down there

Its a bit of a tanget, but Ive always thoguht it would be great to repaint some of the old advertising signs you see round Brixton. Theres a sun shaped one (too faded to see what for) on Electric Lane, and the Bovril one on Windrush Square.

[trabuquera]

according to Nick, the bloke who planted up the area, the new gardens on Brighton Terrace have (so far) reduced drug & burglary problems for the local residents. hope it lasts. talk to him about where he sourced his plants.

ps: one good thing about botanic crackhead control is that you can passive aggressively make things VERY uncomfortable for them on your alley. Think thorny / spiky / stingy / rash inducing things and plant them in thickly.....

if not then try tripwires and motion sensors and lights, but you need money for em. couldn't the police cough up under some bogus 'making brixton safer' budget?

[IntoStella]

Memespring, if you and some of your neighbours set up a non profit making limited company for the purpose of local regeneration/crime prevention (in fact you could apply for charitable status) there are probably grants you could get towards this work.

[memespring]

according to Nick, the bloke who planted up the area, the new gardens on Brighton Terrace have (so far) reduced drug & burglary problems for the local residents. hope it lasts. talk to him about where he sourced his plants.

Ive been meaning to speak to him - I think that shows you can do a lot just by making somwhere feel loved. If somewhere looks like a crack alley people are more likely to take crack in it.

I think your right about spikey plants. Anyone know a (cheap) nursery within walking/tubing distance?

Police are a no go for the moment as are the council although we are continuing to press for something.

[Bob]

What a great looking alley. Loads of potential to make it quite nice. :)

I like the idea of anti climb paint. :cool:

I think though you're ultimately going to have to sort out the door, nothing will stop them using the stairs to sit on apart from taking the stairs away - which I guess might cause you one or two problems...

Good luck.

[Bob]

PS welcome to the boards. Have a hobnob, etc. :cool:

Err and another PS if it works let me know and I'll try in in my garden (which can't be shut off from the street) against our crackusers...

[memespring]

PS welcome to the boards. Have a hobnob, etc. :cool:

Err and another PS if it works let me know and I'll try in in my garden (which can't be shut off from the street) against our crackusers...


Cheers!

I'll keep you posted :)

[Bob]

I'm told the Home Office has an anti social behaviour scheme that might provide funding for this sort of thing called Together - might be worth investigating.

[lang rabbie]

I'm told the Home Office has an anti social behaviour scheme that might provide funding for this sort of thing called Together - might be worth investigating.

http://www.together.gov.uk/
I'm not sure that there is any specific money attached to it.

Please select from the following options:
"I am an anti-social behaviour practitioner"
"I am a member of the public"
So does button 1 lead to an "I'm bad I am - I want to be issued with an ASBO like all my peer group" page. ;)

A pedant adds: Or should that be "I am an anti-social behaviour modification practitioner" by any chance? :mad:

[Stage Left]

On the subject of places to get spikey plants etc isn't there still a garden type centre on Denmark Hill just up from the hosp .. ( i know its long stroll but its short bus ride and if you have spikey plants with you no one will stand on your feet ) ;)

[memespring]

http://www.together.gov.uk/
I'm not sure that there is any specific money attached to it.


From what I know together.gov.uk is a ccentral government initiative with no new money attached. You still have to go through the same people with the same budgets at the council.

[Bob]

Another try: Apparently the Brixton Town Centre office will have a community safety person and there's a chance you'll be able to get some cash out of them on the grounds of crime prevention.

[memespring]

Another try: Apparently the Brixton Town Centre office will have a community safety person and there's a chance you'll be able to get some cash out of them on the grounds of crime prevention.

The residents association has already met with them - no funds avaliable apparently.

[Bob]

The residents association has already met with them - no funds avaliable apparently.

Hmm... I'm not being very successful at this am I? Will dig around a little.

[lang rabbie]

The residents association has already met with them - no funds avaliable apparently.

It could still be worthwhile getting costings for anything (new gates that improve visibility, lighting scheme etc .) that would "reduce crime/disorder" and is clearly part of the public realm - rather than something which would just be nice for residents.

Although the community safety budget is overcommitted, there is likely to be "slippage" on bigger projects and towards the end of the financial year, funders may suddenly be scrabbling around for some small, rapidly deliverable projects to be able to show tangible progress.

[memespring]

Hmm... I'm not being very successful at this am I? Will dig around a little.


:) I think the 'no budget' might be their default first answer. My nextdoor neighbour is working on costing a few basic things so we can go back to them.

I dont mean to put people off though - the woman from Community Saftey was very helpfull other than that.

I'm having some success in tarting up the alley for nearly-free. Ive managed to get trellacing from one of the pound shops on the market and am making raised plant beds out of wooden pallets Ive scavenged.

[IntoStella]

:) I think the 'no budget' might be their default first answer. My nextdoor neighbour is working on costing a few basic things so we can go back to them.

I dont mean to put people off though - the woman from Community Saftey was very helpfull other than that.

I'm having some success in tarting up the alley for nearly-free. Ive managed to get trellacing from one of the pound shops on the market and am making raised plant beds out of wooden pallets Ive scavenged.
Well, pallets *are* known jocularly round here as squatters' decking so you're keeping up a noble tradition.

[memespring]

squatters' decking :D