Barbican Estate residents have slammed the alleged ‘misallocation of funds’ as refurbishment plans get the green light from the council.
Concerns over water ingress problems on the Grade II listed estate have led to the approval of waterproofing and drainage renovations.
The podium – which connects the residential towers and the Barbican Centre – has suffered severe deterioration over time causing leaks and water pooling.
The concrete high walk has received approval for both practical refurbishments and ‘greening’ plans, which will include: trees, grass and the installation of an informal play and exercise area.
This is the second phase of the project, following on from ‘Phase One’ which was completed in 2015.
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But residents on the estate have hit back at the plans, with 19 neighbours raising objections.
In the planning application package, one local described the proposal as ‘a pretty shocking misallocation of funds’ and says that ‘fixing the drains’ is not a ‘one-off problem but requires ongoing maintenance’.
Others expressed concern over the building of a play area, with one local commenting that residents are ‘plagued by noise from the playgrounds below’.
They added: “Although the intention there is to provide play areas for younger children, in practice older children play noisy and disruptive games of various kinds, and the area is not policed.
“There is already quite a lot of disruptive and potentially dangerous skateboarding on the podium, and the last thing I want to see is encouragement of activities that should be taking place on a playing field, not on an already highly urban residential space.”
The new proposal was accepted by the City of London Corporation on Tuesday, May 27.
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