WALTHAMSTOW: Multi-million pound park plan gets the go-ahead (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAMSTOW: Multi-million pound park plan gets the go-ahead

10:55am Wednesday 22nd April 2009 in News By Mhairi Macfarlane

The Friends of Lloyd Park are backing the redevelopment

A MULTI-MILLION pound redevelopment of Lloyd Park has been approved despite grave concerns about the open air performance space.

At a planning committee meeting at the town hall on Tuesday, Friends of Lloyd Park lobbied councillors on their way into the meeting to vote in favour of the development and defended the plans by saying they “had to satisfy the Lottery’s stringent requirements”.

Winns Terrace Residents’ Association, voiced its opposition to the proposed demolishment of the theatre and the introduction of an open air performance space because of fears of increased noise and traffic.

Many councillors were sympathetic to concerns about the performance space, which could be used up to 20 times a year for theatre and music, causing disturbance for residents and questioned why the theatre had been allowed to fall into a state of neglect.

Councillor Bob Wheatley, of William Morris ward, had backed a campaign to save the theatre.

He said at the meeting: “The argument is about the theatre. It has been neglected by the council. Now they say it will cost £135,000 to knock it down. If that money was spent on it we would have a great theatre.”

He also supported the complaints of Winns Terrace residents: “I would not want to live next to that performance space. This is going to effect people’s lives.”

However, it was confirmed by a senior council officer that the Lottery bid had been created to meet its tight specifications and therefore the committee either had to accept the planning application in its form, in the hope of securing the £3.6 million bid, or not at all.

Cllr Wheatley responded: “We are being blackmailed. If we want to keep the theatre, we will lose the money.

“If we cannot change this or that, why wasn’t there a consultation before?”

A Metropolitan Police crime prevention officer expressed concerns at the meeting about the location of the planned new skate park, which he said would make surveillance difficult.

He said that in four years there had been 187 crimes reported in the park, some of which involved suspects in groups of 30 or more and that many youths were using the town hall car park to skate because they felt safer.

Following a heated debate, the application was approved by a majority of five councillors.

Three councillors voted against including, Liberal Democrat Cllr Wheatley and Conservative councillors Cllr Alan Siggers and Cllr Peter Herrington. Labour Cllr Milton Martin abstained.

The Lottery bid for £3.6 million is expected to be submitted in June.