Tuesday 7 July 2009

Crystal Palace Park


As a young lad in the 1970's my parents were keen caravaners. We were a large family and my Dad was on a relatively low wage, so foreign holidays were out of the question. Caravaning always seemed a step up from tenting -seated around a stead table, on comfortable seats and cooking on a two ring stove, which could even cooked toast -if a careful eye was kept on the bread under the grill! Real luxury. When the weather was warm and dry it was great. When wet it was as miserable as hell, stuck in a muddy field-still, I have retained a soft spot for caravans.
My reading of the funding stream for the planned improvements to the park, seems to be largely funded by the development of 180 luxury executive homes on the Caravan Club site at the top of the park. Unsurprisingly, Tory Bromley does not even make a token nod in favour of even limited affordable shared ownership, let along much needed social housing. In addition I have learned that the football pitches will also be lost! No wonder the application has been called in by the Secretary of State. The planning enquiry opened today into the master plan for the park. Lets hope the Planning Inspector decides the plan needs substantial amendments and has enough red ink in his pen! The local Labour leadership, clinging onto the last toe hold in Bromley, gives the private property speculators a clearer run to privatise a chunk of the park! Not a sqeak from Jim Dowd MP however!

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