NORTH WEALD: 'Graffiti wall' planned to tackle vandalism
12:23pm Monday 6th February 2012 in Where I Live By Tom Porter
A SPECIAL wall for teenagers to create street art and graffiti could be built as a measure to prevent vandals defacing a village.
Over the past few months streets, sheds, the village hall in North Weald have all been scrawled with graffiti.
Only two weeks ago trains belonging to the Epping-Ongar Railway Line were vandalised in the station in Station Road, with the damage costing over £4,000 to repair.
North Weald Parish Council has also had to fork out thousands to erase graffiti, and on Saturday (February 4) more than 75 residents, police and councillors met to discuss ways to combat the problem.
One of the solutions proposed was to set aside a wall in the village for graffiti, murals, and street art, providing teenagers with a space to paint without damaging private or council property.
Several local authorities in the country, including a number of London boroughs, have spaces set aside which can be legally graffiti, and those behind the scheme argue that the wall would be a spur to creativity rather than an excuse for further vandalism.
Parish councillor Elaine Godwin-Brown, who was among those to defend the idea at the meeting, said: “I wanted to come up with something positive rather than negative.
“We could have a monthly competition for the best piece of art which villagers could come and see. Afterwards it could be cleared to start again.
“I think many of the kids just want somewhere they can be together and somewhere they can be free.
Dan Etherington, 29, of Higham View, North Weald, runs a company that specialises in cleaning up graffiti and has twice provided his services to the council for free.
He said: “I think it is a great idea. I have seen these walls in London a few times.
“It gives kids space to be creative.”
The suggestion met with some opposition though.
Alan Buckley, 68, lives in Harrison Drive North Weald.
He said: “There was a bit of a divide between those who thought we should give them a wall to play about on and those who thought that we should try to stop them altogether.
“However, I would not be against the idea as long as the wall was monitored properly to prevent it filling up and then kids using other spaces again.”
The suggestion will be discussed at a full meeting of the parish council in April.
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2:14pm Mon 6 Feb 12