Anger at park meeting 'no show'
COUNCIL officers were slammed for missing a key meeting to answer community security concerns about a £740,000 park overhaul.
The scheme to reshape Muswell Hill playing fields, off Coppetts Road close to the North Circular, got the go-ahead at a planning committee meeting.
But community fears that a new skate park and graffiti wall would attract vandals remained unanswered as Haringey Council's own park officers failed to show up to comment on the bid they lodged.
Committee member Councillor Ray Dodds said: "There needs to be a proper management plan and I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed that parks [officers] haven't bothered to come here tonight to answer some of these things.
"It's just not good enough to say well it's the council's own application therefore we're not going to bother turning up."
The council hopes the fields, which border three deprived estates including Coldfall, will become a thriving community space when a children's playground, floodlight games area and skate park are built.
Hamish Stewart, 48, a fundraiser, of Osier Crescent, said: "You would need a higher police presence to make sure the site wouldn't work against what I think is a good plan."
The fields also border St Pancras and Islington Cemetery and the former Lynx depot housing development.
Despite concerns, the scheme was passed unanimously by the committee last Monday - with a condition that security plans must be submitted before it moves forward.
A three stage "master plan" for the fields costing £2million was agreed in April, but funding for later stages had not been secured. A report at that time said the three estates surrounding the playing fields were in the top 22 per cent most deprived in England.
A council spokeswoman said: "This was an oversight. The parks' officers should have attended to answer questions and will be apologising to the committee.
|
|
|
|
|
Muswell Hill
Journal News |
|
|