Heavy gates in place to help prevent anti-social and criminal behaviour on an estate in West Kensington are not doing their job and making the lives of elderly and disabled people a misery.
That is the view of nearby resident Mike Gannon, who suffers from arthritis. He says the metal gates were put in on North End Road, opposite The Clarence pub, to make the Cheesemans Terrace estate safer, but have in fact turned out to be more of a hindrance than a help.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council say it will now seek residents’ views on whether to keep the gates, but Mr Gannon said a local tenants’ residents’ association voted in favour of them being removed on April 20.
The 64-year-old says the gates were put up seven years ago to help make the estate more secure but says they do not do anything of the sort.
Most of the time they have been vandalised or forced open by younger people to avoid adding time to their journey, he said.
The journalist said: “It’s been a long-running problem and the gates are very heavy. It’s very difficult for people like myself to open.
READ MORE:Bereaved dad from Cheesemans Terrace raises money
READ MORE:West Kensington conman jailoed for clocking cars
“When they’re functioning you have to have a fob key to operate, but 95% of the time they have been kicked in and are partly open, and they can be very difficult to open if you’re disabled or a wheelchair user.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people about the issue and we’d like to have the gates removed. They were originally put in to help make the estate more secure and it turned out it didn’t do anything of the sort.
“It’s not fulfilling the function. People I’ve spoken to don’t want the gates to stay. They say it is a hindrance.
A Hammersmith and Fulham spokesman, said: “We thank Mr Gannon for his concerns and we’re now asking all residents who use the gate whether they want it removed.”
