WANSTEAD: Public to have say on police base compensation money (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WANSTEAD: Public to have say on police base compensation money

5:40pm Friday 23rd September 2011 in Your Local Areas By Dominic Sutton

THE PUBLIC will be given the chance to vote on how they want to spend police compensation money for a temporary Olympic base.

The Met have been granted permission to erect the temporary structure on Wanstead Flats for next year’s Olympic Games.

As part of the deal they have agreed to pay the City of London Corporation, which owns the land, £170,000 in compensation.

The Corporation has put forward four projects on Wanstead Flats, which it says are suitable candidates to spend the police money on and started a consultation process.

The options for consideration are improving the landscape of Alexandra Lake, restoring the tree avenues in Bush Wood, redeveloping sports facilities at Capel Road or relining Jubilee Pond.

Ralph Potter is a member of the Wanstead Parklands Community Project, which takes a keen interest in events connected to Wanstead Park.

He said: “We have to live with the best of a bad deal so we might as well try and have a say on this now.”

And he added: “I don’t think Jubilee Pond should be an option.

“The Corporation should use their own funds for that project “They are responsible for many of the problems associated with it, so they should use other funds to put it right.

“But they are a law unto themselves and I wouldn’t be surprised if they go ahead and do whatever they want whatever the result of the consultation.”

Fellow Wanstead Parklands member Richard Arnopp said: “I assume if they are holding a public consultation they will have to respect the result and take account of what people say.

“Had I been in the Corporation I would have held out for more compensation money, but it’s a done deal now, so we might as well try and make the best of it.”

A spokeswoman for the City of London Corporation said: "The Committee believes local public consultation will provide a valuable insight into community aspirations for projects on Wanstead Flats.

"Clearly, the Committee as the Charitable Trustees for Epping Forest must make the final decision on any project.

"Any decision made by the Committee will be guided by the results of the consultation and the requirements of the Epping Forest Act.

More information about the four possible projects will be on show at Capel Road Football Changing Rooms on October 2 between noon and 3pm.

Anyone attending on that day will also be able to vote for their favoured project.

You can also cast a vote by emailing epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk. The deadline is October 31.

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