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From sheep to cycling – what does the future hold for the Heath?
A NATURE park for an informed few walkers or a pleasure ground for the many? Members of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee discussed the open space’s ten-year management plan on Monday night- and agreed to disagree over its future, at least until a public consultation has been held later this year.
In talks which largely ignored two of the hottest topics – cycling and charging for the use of the ponds – committee members set out the battle lines as they discussed Towards a Plan for the Heath 2007-2017, a draft strategy drawn up by Heath Superintendent Simon Lee (pictured) and his team.
The key question of whether the ‘unique character’ of Hampstead Heath can be preserved if greater numbers of people are encouraged to use it was raised early by Heath and Hampstead Society spokesman Jeremy Wright.
Proposing a two-page set of suggestions from the society which stressed the overwhelming predominance of walking as a leisure activity on the Heath, Mr Wright said: “Some of the (facilities) are getting near capacity. Some facilities we have to ration – like the lido. Does the Heath and its facilities have a limit to capacity? We must grapple with this now – and we have made suggestions.”
His comments were largely supported by those promoting the Heath as a nature reserve and source of species diversity, like Colin Gregory, from the Hampstead Garden Suburb Residents’ Association. He said: “What is (the Heath’s) richest asset? Its natural qualities.”
But John Stephenson, representing ‘people with disabilities’, accused the committee and the draft document as ‘presented with bias’ and called for it to be rewritten with access as the number one priority.
He said: “Disability has never been properly debated in this meeting.
“It mustn’t be a question of cherry-picking from the legislation of the past that the committee just happens to like.
“Everything about nature conservation (in the document) is unqualified. If the City of London wants an education aspect they will have to find another pocket of money.”
The discussions will form part of the Heath Management Committee’s meeting next Monday, when representatives from the City of London team who run the Heath will draw up the grounds on which the public will be consulted over the Heath’s future.
The issue of cycling on the Heath was relegated to a separate review by Chairman Alderman Robert Hall. He dismissed media coverage of the Heath strategy which stressed the possibility of sheep-grazing and increased cycling lanes as “a sideshow”.
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