New Hampstead Heath Community Occupation
June 13, 2012 Category: News, Press releases, Statement, Upcoming Action 14 Comments 
The Occupy Nomad camp in London has just arrived and are building a new space for political discussion in Hampstead Heath – the Vale of Health, which is managed by the City of London Corporation. [1] The City of London have continually courted controversy from plans to commercialise the supposed ‘public’ space from dog walkers, swimmers and local residents. [3]
The new camp has been set up overnight – aiming to reach out to the community to talk about shared concerns as they have in other spaces in Tower Hamlets and Hackney. There are currently around 15 tents and more on the way.
Spread the word. Urgent help is needed – if you can help or just wish to get involved then bring yourselves, your tents, your books and your ideas.
How to get in touch:
- Visit: Nearest tube Hampstead. Walk out of Hampstead Heath tube and go up the hill. Go to the Vale of Health – to do this, walk pas the caravan park, following the path. The path swings round the left then it comes up through some treets. Then you will see the camp.
- Camp phone: 07763687412
Notes
[1] https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=vale+of+health+city+of+london&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x48761a6355e8cc9f:0xa64a686cef5477cc,Vale+of+Health,+London+Borough+of+Camden,+London+NW3&gl=uk&ei=gVvYT-q6AYed8gPTvtm3Aw&oi=geocode_result&ved=0CAoQ8gEwAA
[3] Swimmers’ fury over Hampstead Heath Ponds charges
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/swimmers_fury_over_hampstead_heath_ponds_charges_1_1237527 / Controls on Hampstead Heath dog walkers scrapped after government rule change
New chief of Hampstead Heath pledges to protect the ‘jewel in the crown’ of capital’s open spaces http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/new_chief_of_hampstead_heath_pledges_to_protect_the_jewel_in_the_crown_of_capital_s_open_spaces_1_1393938
So you’re protesting the spoiling of public spaces by spoiling public spaces?
Cheers for that.
What James said. Oh the irony.
So the Occupy movement are now after soft targets with scenic locations? That’ll do wonders for your credibility. Who’s dealing with your PR these days? The Lib Dems?
Simon and perhaps others who share your view, I will be interested to know why Occupy movement should not or not entile to Occupy the nice scenic locations? How being in a nice scenic location/s which mostly the 1% have been and are enjoying is questioning the Occupiers credibility. Being a Lib Dems give peoplepermission to enter the place? In my view it is good for Occupy to go around and be present and voice the view to inform as many people as possible. … I have much to say to this, but I hand over to you
Simon and perhaps others who share your view, I will be interested to know why Occupy movement should not or not entile to Occupy the nice scenic locations? How being in a nice scenic location/s which mostly the 1% have been and are enjoying is questioning the Occupiers credibility. Being a Lib Dems give peoplepermission to enter the place? In my view it is good for Occupy to go around and be present and voice the view to inform as many people as possible. …
Hampstead heath is enjoyed by many many people – not just the 1%. You just need to spend a bit of time there to see that. It’s also shared by those people – we love it and respect both it and the thousands of other people that use it every day. In addition to the ponds, there are playgrounds, a lido, woods, heathland, mountain bike trails, amazing views, a free zoo, formal gardens, playing fields and much more.
It is managed by the Corporation of London, but it’s hard to interpret their management as being particularly evil. The fees for swimming in the ponds that they were talking about trying to enforce are £2. Find me somewhere else within 10 miles of central London that you can swim (safely) for so little (N.B. all three ponds have lifeguards, changing rooms that need to be cleaned, buoys and other water facilities that have to be maintained). The dog walking ordinances were just about trying to regulate a shared space.
You ask why the occupy movement should not occupy it. I think that the question should be: what would they achieve by (re)occupying it? They’d be drawing attention to one of the most popular things that the Corporation is involved with; they’d be occupying part of the most accessible free natural outdoor space in London; they would provoke an increased security presence in what is currently one of the most democratically accessible bits of London and, for all their best intentions, they would probably, if Finsbury square is any indicator, make part of the heath a less enjoyable place for many other visitors.
Don’t listen to the naysayers, occupiers; stand strong.
Down with trees and having picnics under them!
Drain the bourgeois lakes!
Put an end to socially unjust kite flying!
Hahahahahahaha!
https://twitter.com/HamandHigh/status/212970043850489856
So that went well then. Can we expect the usual “poor me” follow up article, you know, where the eviction was illegal and forceful with the police dragging the disabled from their wheelchairs and punching pregnant women?
Timothy Sullivan (from Occupy) told the Hampstead & Highgate Express that the gay presence on Hampstead Heath is a ‘problem’ that must be ‘vaporised’.
Exactly what is Occupy’s stance on the gay community as Sullivan would indicate that Occupy is a homophobic group?
The homophobic comments from some of the Occupiers have hit a websites and are being picked up on Facebook and creating a bit of a storm from outraged Queers like moi, and hopefully our homo-friendly straight allies.
Occupy started as a protest about wealth inequality and the collapse of the banking sector due to neo-liberal economic, casino capitalist policies which in the UK and many parts of the world have resulted in austerity policies from right and centre right governments.
Occupy has had a big impact and been part of wider movement on this. But your going to need allies and alienating the Queer community is just plain stupid. There must be lots of issues that bought Occupy into existence which the people living around the Heath could reasonably be interested in that might help grow the movement and help raise the debate on this. Gay men cruising is not one of them, neither is using overtly homophobic language.
Cuts to services and unemployment disproportionatly effect minorities such, including the LGBT community. You should be thinking of how to make solidarity with us, not alienating us.
Silly, silly, silly.
Apologies appreciated, or I’ll come down with me kitten heals and give you all a good talking to!
Yes, the irony.
“But you can’t make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can’t last.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451