The Other Side of Docklands (1991)

A community video providing a counter viewpoint to the official story about Docklands development. The story focuses on East End residents living surrounded by Europe's biggest building site, the London Docklands development on the Isle of Dogs. The video documents some of the problems that residents have faced including council tenants being move doubt to make way for new roads and others being made ill by the constant noise and dirt of construction. The video also documents how they have begun to fight back in order to secure a better future for themselves and the area, with five tenants associations forming an alliance as SPLASH (the South Poplar and Limehouse Action for Secure Housing). Elizabeth Filkin of the London Docklands Development Corporation is recorded giving the official take on events. Counter comment from locals comes from local tenants Christine Frost, Fatima Siddique, Doris Bassett and Alison To. A group of Tower Hamlets housing tenants moved on to the new Timber Wharves Village discuss being uprooted. Representatives of the housing associations add their views: Anne George (Chair, Robin Hood Gardens Tenants Association), Elizabeth Lee (Chair, St Vincent's Tenants Association), Dot Harrison (St Mathias Tenants Association), Jackie Newson (Chair, Will Crooks Tenants Association) and Alf Benning (Chair, Birchfields Tenant Association) alongside the SPLASH consultant Nisar Ahmed. A Docklands GP Dr Anna Livingstone discusses the increased incidence of childhood asthma on the Isle of Dogs subsequent to the beginning of construction. Additional commentary is provided by local politicians Gwyneth Deakins, a Tower Hamlets councillor and Mildred Gordon the MP for Bow and Poplar.
Credits: Video production, Jes Benstock, Penny Benstock, Kay Buxton, Mike Carter, Daniel Farnham, Dave Forbes, Andy Holt, Fiona Morrisey, Frank Muller, Donald Salmon; poem, Alf Benning; B/W Footage, Frank Muller.
Copyright: SPLASH/Docklands Forum, 1991. Reproduced with permission of SPLASH.
Tower Hamlets Local History and Archives reference number: LC15075.

[@zac99991]

Now a bunch of yuppies benefit from the canary wharf development and the residents where pushed out and eventually either died out or left eft. Absolutely tragic. Shame on the lddc and Tower hamlets for their negligence to the people.

[@movesky6696]

banker come from west london only

[@johnrider5701]

How many jobs were created for locals not that many ,

[@movesky6696]

local people not seen do care

[@DeenM2099]

Wonder what everyone’s like now from this video

[@cianog]

No English people left now.

[@racheldoesacrylic4089]

London where did you go ? down the toilet look at it now ,shame on all who destroyed people and communities ,no one even smile at you now in case you want sommin ? most out for themself and it will only get worse ,look back at how we used to be ,dear God x

[@mrhat50]

Neoliberalism