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We love the wall

1/11/2002

A proposal to replace a high wire fence "dividing " an Asian and white area in Oldham with a brick wall has been welcomed by both communities.

The fence was originally erected on Royle Close in June last year to stop white youths using a passageway to get into an area with largely Asian homes and vandalising property. Now, a year on, the Aksa Housing Association, which owns many of the properties on Royal Close, have made an application to replace the fence with a permanent brick wall.

The move has been attacked by the man who led the investigations into the Oldham race riots, civil servant David Ritchie. He said the eight feet high barrier would be a shameful admission that harmony between the two communities could never be achieved.

He said: "Whatever the short term reasons, if the wall is being put up to create barrier between people effectively of different races, I can't see any way it can be justified. It's reminiscent to me of Northern Ireland."

But residents I spoke to disagreed. They claimed the wall would have nothing to do with segregation. Yasser Hussain told me it was "a great idea".

He added: "It's not segregation, it's an anti crime measure. Thieves and vandals were using the passage as an escape route and before the fence we use to have many car crimes. But now they find it quite difficult to do that. Some still try climbing over the fence but when a wall is built it would make life even more difficult for criminals.

"I don't think a wall will segregate both communities as the area is already mixed and people can walk round to see each other. The media have made this a national issue. We have had tourists coming into our area just to see if it's really true that we have a fence dividing both communities."

Yasser's neighbour Akash Ali added: "This is a peaceful neighbourhood where many whites and Asians do get along."

Mrs Deborah Wright who lives on the 'other side' of the fence also welcomes the wall. The fence is very unsightly and I think it will be much better to have a wall replace it. The fact is whether we have a fence or a wall we need something there otherwise vandals and criminals will use the passageway to make trouble for everybody.

"I have seen young white men jumping over the fence trying to cause trouble in the past, but they are not from our area and I can understand why some Asians will feel safer to have a wall erected. At the end of the day I don't think the wall is dividing the community. Our children can always take the long route round if they want to play with each other."