| Topic: | Re:Gunnersbury Park - What if..... | |
| Posted by: | Bela Cunha | |
| Date/Time: | 26/04/13 13:32:00 |
| A Trust has long been recognised as the only sensible way forward for Gunnersbury Park, taking it away from the ownership by two Councils which has been a disaster. Alistair, you have said something which I know many people think but are afraid to say in case they are accused of being heretics: why this obsession with preserving at all costs (whatever the cost) buildings that are falling down, shut off from public access, too expensive to repair and, even if they could be repaired, no appropriate use could be found for, except what most of us want to avoid, i.e. housing? I was told a long time ago by someone who knew the subject that the Small Mansion is not even a particularly good example of its type and there's nothing inside it of note (it was painted magnolia in the 1960s). This was a rich man's folly and we now live in austere times. Labour Councils contemplating spending untold millions on piles of stones while having to make heartbreaking decisions that will throw so many people into hardship ... Labour Councils apparently falling over themselves to do a deal (any deal that will rid them of the responsibility of the Small Mansion) with millionaire tax-avoiding property developers? Is anyone so naive as to think these people are prepared to spend £6 million altruistically restoring the building out of the kindness of their own hearts, without wanting anything in return? Or is this a hard-nosed business decision, furthering their own agenda and giving them a precious foothold in the Park? To me the important thing is preserving the integrity of the Park. It is MOL, a listed Park and protected by a covenant. Small modifications have been allowed in the past after application to the Lands Tribunal, but the covenant itself has always remained in place. A Trust could run the Park. With so much development going on in the area, we need to hold on to GP, not just for us, but for those who are moving here and for future generations.Let us buck the present trend that parks (like school playing fields) are only good for building on. |