Camden New Journal - Letters: Wrong time

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:9 August 2007

Wrong time, wrong place for so-called super school

• I HAVE read some of the correspondence regarding the proposed – although it appears to be a fait accompli – construction of a super school on Adelaide Road, Swiss Cottage.
Surely, this is madness. The fact that there is a bit of space on the site appears to be Camden’s only reason for choosing it. They have taken no consideration of the surrounding area at all. Apart from the arguments that there are already schools close by and that the real need is in the south of the borough, nobody seems to be taking into account the horrific environmental impact it would have.
The area is already unpleasantly overcrowded and amenities overstretched. The Tubes and buses are packed at all times, day and night and there is no longer any out-of-rush-hour time.
The library and leisure centre at Swiss Cottage cannot cope properly with the demands of users, there are always long queues for library computers and the swimming pool is overcrowded.
Pavements are very crowded and there is already too much road traffic, even though they have recently altered the phasing of the traffic lights, giving much more time to the vehicles. This has made it extra difficult for pedestrians to cross the lanes safely at the Swiss Cottage junction (the scene of two recent road deaths).
Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park have seen an enormous amount of additional development and expansion in recent years, with the ensuing increase in population, and most recently the arrival of many eastern Europeans.
Camden’s response to this situation of overcrowding is to build a super school which will involve more than 1,500 pupils and staff, not to mention parents, commuting to an area which has already reached saturation point. Does this make sense?
Think again Camden, it may make political and economic sense to you, but it will cause additional misery and stress to residents and already over-stretched services. I would also suggest what they are proposing is dangerous. It cannot be safe to create such a huge migration of people and traffic in an already overcongested area.
Finally, have Camden conveniently forgotten the national media (radio and press) reports last year that the area around Fitzjohn’s Avenue/Swiss Cottage has the worst congestion and school-run problems of the whole of the UK? They must be fully aware of it in view of the surveys they have been carrying out on the matter.
This project must be stopped before any more public funds are wasted on it, and a more suitable site found for the school.
name and address supplied

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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