Editorial

A SHAMEFUL WASTE OF FUNDS

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20 May 2010

When £6m was secured for the transformation of Burgess Park, we all celebrated.

So to hear that a quarter of this hard won funding has been spent on plans and surveys is infuriating, to say the least. Of course proper plans need to be drawn up, but this should cost in the low thousands, not £1.5m.

Right from the outset, those in charge of this project should have made it clear that as much of the funding as possible was retained for the actual works to the park, rather than seeing it wasted on bureaucracy.

And after this huge sum has been spent, what are we left with? A ridiculous idea to level the contours that separate the popular fishing lake from the Old Kent Road, so that ‘the public get a view of the lake’.

Apparently it’s what all those consulted want, although why anyone in their right mind would want to expose a tranquil green space to the busiest road in the borough beats us. Isn’t the whole point of an urban park the fact that you can escape the grime and bustle of the inner city for a fleeeting moment?

And what’s the betting that ten years down the road, some bright spark comes up with the brilliant idea of - you guessed it - installing mounds in Burgess Park, to insulate it from the Old Kent Road.

Given that this news is accompanied by the startling decision to prevent any local stakeholders from sitting on the decision board, you really have to fear for the park’s future.

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