East London both North and South of the river stands at a cross roads in time. The functions on which a great past has been built, heavy industry, river industry and a people who supplied our history have passed, leaving a dormant giant of an area which, phoenix-like begins to rise from the ashes.
London is commanded to expand eastward and so it will. The next twenty years will see the eastern boundary line of the City of London become the Meridian Line in Greenwich. The establishment of Canary Wharf and the extension of the city with the proposed need to build houses for people on brownfield sites could simply be a recipe for continuation of a divided area both socially and economically with much of East London working in the service industries and living in poor housing. East London both North and South of the river can do better than this.
|
|
|
We have Heritage buildings and people second to none. We have families that can boast over 200 years of residence. A rich mix of talent, skills and cultural diversity permeates East London and together the creatives and many diverse cultural communities can be the life blood coursing through the regeneration of this part of the world. We have emerging cultural flagship institutions such as the Laban Centre, Trinity College of Music, Trinity Buoy Wharf, Three Mills, Woolwich Arsenal, Stratford East, and Hoxton. We have unique festivals and music and art to die for. We have commitment from Higher Education institutions and other places of learning to engage with the new.
The challenge is urban or surburban, freedom of choice or being controlled, our culture or theirs, prosperity or poverty.
There is a place called East London - creativity through community will put it on the map.
|