The space programme

I was interested in your article about various efforts to reclaim patches of green on housing estates (HT 13 February, page 28).

In Greenwich it was exactly this kind of concern that led us four years ago to begin a complete reorganisation of the borough's street sweeping, caretaking and grounds maintenance services. As well as looking to provide a service that is more efficient and better managed, we placed a strong emphasis on the need to take in those corners of estates that had previously risked falling between the estate caretaking, grounds maintenance and street cleaning teams.

It's not just green areas that can fall victim to an old-fashioned disjointed way of working – alleyways and estate service roads can be similarly uncharted territory.

In an inner-city area, open space can be at a premium, so CABE is absolutely right to stress that we should all make the most of every bit of space that we possibly can.