Spectacle Archive
Land is Ours Wandsworth Bridge 1996 Pure Genius!! - 1996
Introduction
Campaigners from The Land is Ours occupy the river front site of an old distillery and oil depot on York Road, London SWl1, Wandsworth. Building a sustainable Eco village with gardens and public amenities.
Campaigners from The Land is Ours are
occupying the site of the old distillery and oil
depot on York Road, SW11. We're building a
sustainable village with gardens and public
amenities. We're laying on lots of events:
music (acoustic only), circus stunts, talks,
painting and story-telling. Everyone's
welcome - please come and join us.
On 8th May we celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary of the biggest occupations in
British history, when demobbed servicemen
took over a thousand derelict sites. On 12th
May we'll be handing the land over to the
people who want to live there or to use it in
the longer term. This, if you're interested,
means you.
WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
We want to highlight the desperate need to
make good use of the derelict sites in Britain's
cities. They're the best places for the
affordable housing, the community facilities
and the green spaces our cities need so badly.
At the moment they're either being wasted or
used for the sorts of developments which tear
up communities - such as giant superstores
and extremely expensive housing.
We want to show what can be done in places
like this - and how much better development
can be when ordinary people are involved
rather than just big business and bureaucrats.
WHY HAVE WE CHOSEN THIS PLACE?
Because, with the right sort of development -
making use of the waterfront and the excellent
location - it could be wonderful. Also, since
Elm Farm was shut down by Wandsworth
Borough Council, the people of Battersea
have been deprived of one of their best
amenities. We want to restore some of the
things the area has lost.
WILL WE BE A NUISANCE?
We're acutely aware that we're within earshot
of people's homes, so no amplified music or
other major noise will be allowed on site. This
is a peaceful, friendly and constructive
occupation. If you feel worried by any aspect
of what we're doing, please come to the
reception tent at the main entrance and tell us
what you think, and we'll try to sort it out.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
To a large extent this is up to you. We believe
that homeless people and the local community
should be the driving forces of development.
So please come along and join our meetings.
Tell us what you think and what you would
like to see the land used for. Then we can work
out together how we can put your ideas into
practice. A planning meeting is held every
morning at 11am-everyone is welcome.
WH0 ARE WE?
The Land is Ours is a campaign, not an
organisation. It has no membership and no
paid staff. We're campaigning for sensible
land use in Britain and better access both to
the land itself and the decision-making
processes that affect it.
(This tape also includes Luton May elections with Roy Davies).
Credits
Date: May 1996
Location: Guinness site York Road, London SW11 Wandsworth
City: London
Crew: Mark Saunders
Organisation: The Land is Ours
Scene 1: Building of round house and other structures
Scene 4: - Local kids wall painting
Original Format - colour, hi8, 35 mins
Language versions - english
Useful link: - http://www.tlio.org.uk/...
Ordering Information
If you would like to request a viewing copy of this video, please click the email link below. You can find out more information about ordering in the distribution section.
Order Catalogue No. Ex527LIO - Beta - en - pal via email
Further Details
wecovil.htm - Wandsworth Eco Village
Guinness lost the public inquiry, so no Safeways and no 27 million pounds for Guinness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Land_is_Ours
For an update of what is happening now:
http://www.demotix.com/news/kew-bridge-eco-village
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