Residents invited to help name and rename Hackney roads and public spaces
Hackney Town Hall. Picture: 2013 The London Borough of Hackney - Credit: 2013 The London Borough of Hackney
Hackney residents are invited to help name new roads, parks and other public spaces in a bid to celebrate the borough’s diversity.
The council is asking members of the public to submit ideas for the naming of future roads, buildings, parks and will crowd-source suggestions via its recently launched Naming Hub.
The Naming Hub is a new online platform which will be used to help name streets with the aim of addressing under-representation and acknowledging the achievements of migrant and LGBTQI+ communities, women and people with disabilities.
Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said: “I’m proud to launch the first stage of our Hackney Naming Hub project and I’m really looking forward to finding out about the local heroes, inspirational stories and incredible history it unearths.”
The naming hub will take form as an interactive map which will act as a knowledge bank for new, inclusive names to be used by the council and developers. Town Hall also hopes the map will give residents a chance to learn and engage with each other’s histories.
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The bank could also help with replacing streets and places named after people who profited from the transatlantic slave trade, which are already being reviewed by the council as part of its Public Naming Review which was established in June.
A steering group made up of local historians, community leaders, young people and other residents has been developing recommendations about the renaming of contentious sites across the borough and more news on their work will come next year.
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Cassland Road Gardens, named after Sir John Cass, a Director of the Royal African Company, who profited from slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries is one such site which will be renamed. Residents are to share their thoughts on potential new names in a consultation starting in January.
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The Mayor added: “Hackney has a proud tradition of celebrating our diversity, and some of our council and public buildings and roads already reflect that - but it’s not enough. Since we launched the Review in the summer, I’ve been blown away by the public response and the brilliant suggestions people have had to make our shared spaces better reflect the people who live - and have lived - in our borough. This is an opportunity for us to deepen that engagement and crowdsource some great, local ideas that mean something to our residents, speak to Hackney’s history and to make a bold statement about our commitment to diversity and anti-racism.”
To get involved visit https://hackneynaminghub.commonplace.is/ or email naminghub@hackney.gov.uk or call 020 8356 4501
