Uproar Over Labour's Park Snatch - Green Space to be Bulldozed (Lambeth Liberal Democrats)

Lambeth Liberal Democrats <office@lambethlibdems.org.uk>

Uproar Over Labour's Park Snatch - Green Space to be Bulldozed

March 12, 2007 12:35 PM

Diana Braithwaite at Lambeth Walk Open Space 2 closer crop

Lib Dem Councillor Diana Braithwaite is fighting to save Green Space in the Borough from Labour's bulldozers

Residents, environmentalists and friends of Lambeth parks are preparing to demonstrate over crass Council plans to snatch 1000 square metres from one of the borough's most famous parks in order to prioritise a traffic scheme.

Brockwell Park, scene of Lambeth's annual Country Show, designated as Metropolitan Open Land and currently subject to a Lottery Bid to upgrade its historic features and importance as one of Brixton's green lungs, is about to be desecrated by a combined TfL/Lambeth highways scheme to improve traffic flow by the Herne Hill entrance.

Highways officers, supported by Herne Hill Labour Cabinet member and ward councillor Jim Dickson, have apparently given the green light to a scheme which will slice-off an important corner of the park with strategic vistas towards the Grade 2* Listed Brockwell Hall.

The area affected will stretch from Norwood Road not far from Olley's famous Fish Restaurant into Dulwich Road near the Brockwell Tavern and will also involve the loss of the public lavatories which the Lottery Bid was meant to restore.

The scheme which is meant to improve traffic flow and reduce bus journey times will create a huge ugly paved traffic island (enough to park 16 double-decker buses) which supporters of the scheme disingenuously maintain will still be classified as Park land.

English Heritage, Lambeth Conservation Department and even TfL's own Heritage Adviser have spoken out against the scheme yet powerful forces inside the Council seem intent on pushing this crazy scheme through.

Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson, Cllr Diana Braithwaite said, "Every time Labour comes to power they want to give away precious open space. Last time they sold off Albert Embankment Gardens, which now has an hotel on it, they nearly got away with selling Spring Gardens at Vauxhall to a developer in a secret deal.

"It took a High Court Judge to stop Labour from building on Lambeth Walk Open Space and now they want to concrete over a significant part of a major public open space in order to give vehicles supremacy over people."

Cllr Braithwaite added, "I will be joining with those who object to Labour's constant erosion of precious green space. We should be seeing more green space made available not less. At national level Labour attacks the Green Belt. Locally they attack our vital Green Lungs."