Barnet Homes is hoping to consign ‘no ball games’ signs on its estates to history through a new campaign.

Barnet Homes will be removing all ‘no ball games’ signs and other authoritarian signage from its council estates in what it believes to be the first campaign of its kind by any social landlord in the UK. The signs will not be replaced unless there is evidence of significant demand from local residents.

Barnet Homes, an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) that manages 15,000 council properties on behalf of Barnet Council, hopes the campaign will make estates more welcoming to residents and encourage more of a sense of community, particularly among children and young people.

Other aims include:

  • encouraging residents to take greater pride in their area by starting to change the ‘message’ of council housing estates from ‘you can’t’ to ‘you can
  • encouraging children and young people to play on appropriate green and open spaces on estates under the supervision of their local community, fostering more familiarity between adults and young people living in council housing
  • further blurring the distinction between private and public housing in the borough following the completion of Barnet Homes’ £185millon Decent Homes modernisation programme in March 2011.

Barnet Homes Chief Executive Tracey Lees said: “We want our estates to be places where residents are encouraged to do things, not where they’re just told what they can’t do.

“No ball game and other similar signs tend to be installed with good intentions to solve particular issues at particular times. But their proliferation over time has left many council estates feeling like places that could not be less welcoming to young people.

“The result is that young people can be driven away from the watchful eye of their local community, which is surely where we want them to be. It’s important that adults and young people on our estates interact with and get to know one another so they can hopefully build a relationship of mutual respect.

“The recent civil disorder across London and other parts of the country shows that we have to do more to foster a feeling among young people that they are part of their local community. The removal of no ball games signs and other negative signage is clearly a small step, but we feel it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

The campaign has been launched through the September edition of Barnet Homes’ resident newsletter athome, which is distributed to all tenanted and leasehold council properties in the borough.

Residents who object to the removal of any signs will be asked to contact Barnet Homes, which will consult with other residents in the area before making a decision on whether to replace it with a rebranded Barnet Homes sign.

Ms Lees added: “We think these kinds of signs are years past their sell-by date, but if we do get resident consensus that they want these signs replaced, then of course we will respect those wishes.”

Barnet Homes residents who would like signs to be replaced should call 0800 3895225 or email talk2us@barnethomes.org