Does Wanstead Flats really need saving? (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Does Wanstead Flats really need saving?

5:12pm Tuesday 24th August 2010

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By Flash Bristow »

There is currently a lot of controversy about the Metropolitan Police’s proposal to use part of Wanstead Flats for a briefing centre during the 2012 Olympics. I quite understand that the land should not be damaged, nor permanently built upon, but is the uproar for this one-off event really necessary?

It’s a fact that the police need a large space in which to feed and then brief their staff before each shift – this is a tried and trusted system which they already operate for other events such as Notting Hill Carnival. So the Met identified various sites near the Olympic Park, but the only one which met all their criteria was Wanstead Flats. So now it’s time for local residents to decide how they feel, as a consultation is launched.

Knowing that there are a lot of strong feelings on this issue, the police called a private meeting to “capture concerns” and answer questions on their proposal. It was attended by representatives of residents associations, Friends of Wanstead Park, nature groups, local riding stables. There were also several members of the Save Wanstead Flats campaign – unfortunately they got up and walked out early on, thus missing the opportunity to discover the details and interrogate the police’s plans.

In fact there will be two separate consultations: one by the Home Office later in the year, regarding a change to the Epping Forest Act which would be needed before the land could be used in this way. The second is by the police, regarding their exact plans for the site. So, if you object to Wanstead Flats being used (ever) then let the Home Office know. However if your objection is just to this particular use, go and have a look at the Police consultation (information is at http://www.wanstead-mbdc.co.uk/ ) – perhaps it will answer your questions or at least ensure any objection is properly informed.

Local feeling is heated and I have seen petitions and flyers bandied about protesting this use of the land – but they are full of false information, for example saying that holding cells will be present (the police state categorically that this will not happen) and that the land will be used for at least 120 days (in fact it will be a maximum of 90 days, which includes construction and take down). It is a shame because petitions gathered on a false basis will probably be dismissed in any case. I can understand that this is a contentious issue on which locals wish to campaign, but it would be better if their facts were accurate so that people could make up their own mind, rather than just hearing propaganda and instantly saying “gosh, how awful!”

I am all for the right to petition and campaign but only on the basis of truth.

In fact I did have some uncertainty – for example the proposed site is not too far from skylark nesting sites, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. However it is used several times a year for funfairs, including this coming Bank Holiday Monday, and there are no rare species of any kind on the land. Further, all structures will sit on top of the land without foundations (there will only be marquees and portacabins), and trackway will be used for vehicle routes, to mitigate the chance of environmental damage.

My only real concern is that any change to the Epping Forest Act must be watertight, so there is no loophole providing for the possibility of development on Wanstead Flats in future. I would urge everyone to put their energies into this – responding to the Home Office consultation when it comes to ensure the long-term protection of the land – rather than criticising the police, who have put a lot of thought into their plans and have experience of running similar centres already.

After all, the last possession of part of Wanstead Flats was during World War II for a Prisoner of War camp. This proposal for the 2012 Olympics is another “once in a lifetime” event, and one from which I hope the local economy will benefit.