Mozart Estate, Westminster’s dirty little secret, a ghetto in the heart of the affluent Queen’s Park is aggressively being gentrified.
A common view across the capital before the skyline of cranes is swapped for blocks of flats are the hoardings which hide the unfinished commodity. Property developer Wilmott Dixon’s new scheme in Mozart Estate has used hoardings which carry hidden messages dreamt up by some awful people who don’t live in the area and want nothing but to push you out.
Residents of Queens Park, an area known for its diversity took to Twitter after being offended by images included on these hoardings. The hoardings received complaints about the images depicting a future vision which included young attractive aspirational looking white people and excluded everyone else. In response to the complains the hoardings were amended to include images of black people. Though the choice of imagery had no intention of reflecting the local diversity but instead aimed to reinforce a stereotypical view of black people; such as a man in African garb carrying a drum, a DJ spinning some vinyl and a woman frantically dancing as you would expect to find in a Pentecostal church.
Lack of inclusion
A neighbour complained about lack of diversity on the Prime Place 'Maida Hill' hoarding… they responded by sticking pictures of black people dancing and playing drums. White 'professionals' appear on original boards in suits. U can see the sticky tape when up close. @QPCouncil pic.twitter.com/eoT5La1wyY
— Emma Morgan (@EmmaKMorgan) 21 July 2018
OMG that’s just dreadful! I complained to them about original hoardings too, but this??
— Karen Buck (@KarenPBuckMP) 21 July 2018
This isn't just about the image. The image betrays the fact that the designers of this development have NO SPACE in their minds for the diverse community. Don't think about other cultures other than white. Can't imagine them being part of the future. And this vision comes true.
— Dr Vaguechera (@vaguechera) 21 July 2018
Hurts that this is the area I grow up in.
— Victorious (@Victorious984) 21 July 2018
Not quite sure what the marketing team at Prime Place “Maida Hill” (apparently) and @behereliving were thinking when they super imposed these racist & offensive images onto the billboard advert space outside of the old Jubilee Sports Centre. #QueensPark #MaidaHill #HarrowRoad #RT pic.twitter.com/BKNQ4kJ7ur
— Ryan Dalton (@CllrRyanD) 21 July 2018
I remember them being slagged off for making the billboards featuring purely white people in an area like this which is so multicultural. Maybe this is a half-assed attempt to fix that?! Also, Maida Hill is the other side of Elgin Ave to me! Idiots!
— Sarah Mac (@ms_sarahmac) 21 July 2018
Social cleansing
It is bad enough they market it as 'Maida Hill' this is Mozart Estate. #gentrification #socialcleansing #racist
— Emma Morgan (@EmmaKMorgan) July 21, 2018
Outrageous, I grew up on the Mozart the best thing about it was the diversity. Your quite right Emma social cleansing at its worst.
— Fiona Doherty (@FionaFlaherty1) July 22, 2018
This is so much more than just developers disregarding what a place is and pushing their agenda for what they want the place to become. Developers have attacked the local area with disrespectful imagery which mocks diversity in response to their discordant vision being rejected by the local community.
