Britain
英国板块
Public spaces
公共空间
Parks and recriminations
公园和指责
Youngsters take over London's fanciest parks, to the displeasure of locals
年轻人接管了伦敦最豪华的公园,这让当地人很不高兴
Hampstead heath is home to many fine creatures. Purse web spiders, green woodpeckers, brimstone butterflies and kestrels have all found peace in the oddity that is London's 790-acre moorland. They roam happily alongside a near-mythical tribe: north London's metropolitan elite. But the current chieftain, Marc Hutchinson, a solicitor and chair of the Heath & Hampstead Society, is unhappy with the heath's most recent arrivals: drunken young people.
汉普特斯西斯公园是许多美丽生灵的家园。钱包蜘蛛、绿啄木鸟、硫黄蝶和茶隼都在伦敦这片790英亩的沼泽地里找到了平静。它们和一个近乎神话般的部落——伦敦北部的都市精英们——一起快乐地漫着步。但是现任“酋长”,西斯与汉普特斯协会主席兼律师马克·哈钦森对西斯协会最近的新成员——醉醺醺的年轻人感到不满。
When covid struck last spring, open spaces across Britain were flooded with youngsters looking for somewhere to socialise. The habit has stuck, much to the annoyance of regular parkgoers. Local newspapers are filled with complaints about anti-social behaviour spoiling beauty spots. In most places, locals are powerless. Not so in London's most expensive neighbourhoods.
去年春天新冠疫情爆发时,英国各地的空地上挤满了寻找社交场所的年轻人。这个习惯就此延续了下来,让经常去公园的人很是恼火。当地报纸充斥着对破坏风景区的反社会行为的抱怨。大多数地方的当地人对此都无能为力,但在伦敦最昂贵的社区却并非如此。
Battle lines were first drawn in Primrose Hill, where residents say they were besieged by raves, fireworks, knife crime and "drug cars". Their solution was to lock the park at night. Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader and a local MP, offered support. The Royal Parks, a charity, forked out for nine-foot aluminium gates, which locals now want to make permanent. That is not an option in Hampstead Heath, where enclosure has been banned since 1871. Instead, councillors want to cut the number of nearby alcohol licenses. Not all local firms are opposed. "Less businesses means more customers," reckons a newsagent.
战线首先在樱草花山拉开,当地居民称他们被狂欢、烟火、持刀犯罪和“毒品车”所包围。他们的解决办法是晚上给公园上锁。工党领袖兼当地议员基尔·斯塔默爵士对此表示支持。皇家公园是一家慈善机构,它出资购买了一个9英尺高的铝制大门,而当地人现在希望将其永久保留下来。在汉普特斯西斯公园这是不可能的,因为从1871年起就禁止圈地。相反,议员们希望削减附近的酒类执照数量。并不是所有的当地公司都反对。“生意越少,顾客就越多,”一家报刊经销商认为。
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