Walls ruin community spirit, says archbishop
Discussion
The new Archbishop of York has compared houses and estates surrounded by walls and large gates to "prisons" that undermine the spirit of neighbourliness.
Are gated communities a necessary evil whenever nice houses are built in the Chav lands?.
Are gated communities a necessary evil whenever nice houses are built in the Chav lands?.
Telegraph said:
Walls ruin community spirit, says archbishop
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent and Miles Salter
(Filed: 22/12/2005)
The new Archbishop of York has compared houses and estates surrounded by walls and large gates to "prisons" that undermine the spirit of neighbourliness.
Dr John Sentamu, the Church of England's second most senior cleric, said that people who built high fences to protect their properties had cut themselves off from their communities.
Dr John Sentamu spoke of a loneliness in society
"High fences never make good neighbours," he said.
He said he was determined that Bishopthorpe Palace, his imposing medieval home on the banks of the River Ouse, near York, would be "a place of welcome for all", especially the young. The building, which is set in nine acres of grounds and dates from 1241, is reached through an elaborate gatehouse built in 1765.
His comments, made to local media this week, will reinforce his reputation as an outspoken cleric who is keen for the Church to recapture its missionary vision.
Dr Sentamu, the Church's first black archbishop, said he regretted that some of the Christian principles that had inspired him as a young man in Uganda appeared to have been eroded in this country.
"I grew up with a sense of discipline and an awareness to care for your neighbour and your friend," he said. "The people who taught me about that were missionaries from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
"The tragedy has been that, with the passage of time, all those things have been forgotten as we have pursued consumerism. We have become rich as a nation; we have built our own houses, built our fences. Some people are living in houses where boundaries are so safe, with big gates - that is a prison. How can they be anything but barriers to community?"
The archbishop said he had grown up as part of a supportive, extended family and when he worked in London he had encouraged Church members to become surrogate uncles and aunts to children who lacked relatives.
"That dramatically changed the way in which people related to one another," he said.
"So it is possible that we should be neighbourly to one another and to provide the kind of support which, had you been in the kind of culture that I come from, you would have had.
"We are each other's keeper and we should be able to care. If you know people who are disabled, people who are not well, people who live alone, why not knock on their door and, when the weather is getting very cold, say, 'Hello, how are you? How are you keeping? Can we do some shopping for you? Can we help you?'
"I want to create a culture in which I am not alone. But at the moment in this country there is a great loneliness."
Dr Sentamu also spoke of what he called BSE - not mad cow disease but Blame Someone Else.
"A lot of us have a desire to clamour for human rights," he said. "For me, as a Christian, that means that I have the duty to do that which I ought to be doing, not simply getting what I want.
"This is a great nation and people should not simply say that 'things are terrible' but should say, 'This is our duty, our responsibility; we can make a difference.' "
Jaglover said:
Are gated communities a necessary evil whenever nice houses are built in the Chav lands?.
Yes. A mate of mine lives in a new block of flats in Ilford and while it isn't gated, there's an underground car park with electronic gates and electronic access to all the blocks of flats.
There is regular vandalism by local children and if everything was open then it would be 100 times worse. My mate has already had to call the Police a couple of times because he found gangs of kids who had either jammed the car park gate so they could get in and out, or graffitting the walls in the blocks.
I lived in a proper gated development in Docklands, and I think that the good bishop is living in a dream world if he thinks that everyone is going to live happily side by side.
silversun said:
Are gated communities a necessary evil whenever nice houses are built in the Chav lands?.
Yes. A mate of mine lives in a new block of flats in Ilford and while it isn't gated, there's an underground car park with electronic gates and electronic access to all the blocks of flats.
There is regular vandalism by local children and if everything was open then it would be 100 times worse. My mate has already had to call the Police a couple of times because he found gangs of kids who had either jammed the car park gate so they could get in and out, or graffitting the walls in the blocks.
I lived in a proper gated development in Docklands, and I think that the good bishop is living in a dream world if he thinks that everyone is going to live happily side by side.
Wow a serious response
I agree I think they are sad neccesity in many urban areas.
Jaglover said:
> He said he was determined that Bishopthorpe Palace, his imposing medieval home on the banks of the River Ouse, near York, would be "a place of welcome for all", especially the young
Oh dear.
At least he's not a Catholic Bishop though
he could have michael jackson round for tea as well.
I replied before I'd seen the amusing stuff. eccles said:
> He said he was determined that Bishopthorpe Palace, his imposing medieval home on the banks of the River Ouse, near York, would be "a place of welcome for all", especially the young
Oh dear.
At least he's not a Catholic Bishop though
he could have michael jackson round for tea as well.
And Gary Glitter
Well someone was bound to say it sooner or later
I think that supercilious comments by high up burocrats in a religious order who live in closed communities and/or behind closed gates in palaces is just a wee bitty rich... talk about motes in others eyes while ignoring the treetrunks in own eyes et al....... Just a pity that to protect "our" property (stolen from brainwashed "believers" in the last 2 Millenia) from the greedy uneducated proles one has to gate oneself in.....
Wayne Hemmingway (fashion bod) said a similar thing about new houses in Swindon. Obviously, everyone in Swindon jumped down his throat yadda, yadda, but if you look at these pictures, which are real flats and houses, with slight Photoshopping, you'll see his not far off!
[url]www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/05/24/swindohemingway_feature.shtml[/url]
[url]www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/05/24/swindohemingway_feature.shtml[/url]
Anyone would think that nothing but gated communities are being built throughout the country, but the reality is that they are mostly built in urban areas which are traditionally deprived but close to a) more affluent areas and b) areas where people commute to, like the City.
Although I can kind of see his point, I don't agree with it. Reason being is that if gated developments are attracting more affluent buyers to a poor area, then gradually the area will improve because the local authorities will have more money coming in and more incentive to improve things. More businesses and shops would be attracted to the area as well.
That's my 2p anyway.
Although I can kind of see his point, I don't agree with it. Reason being is that if gated developments are attracting more affluent buyers to a poor area, then gradually the area will improve because the local authorities will have more money coming in and more incentive to improve things. More businesses and shops would be attracted to the area as well.
That's my 2p anyway.
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