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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 20 September 2007

No funds on offer for renewal of care homes

• CAMDEN Council’s executive has approved plans to build replacement care homes in the Queen’s Crescent area of Wellesley Road and Maitland Park, to be funded by the sales of property in Branch Hill and St Margaret’s West Heath, and also Ingestre Road.
The Hampstead sites have been called unique, tranquil and green, which could be modernised, though providing fewer units.
So Camden joins the ranks of those providing sites for luxury apartments (the NHS sold off Athlone House in Hampstead Lane some years ago).
The Queen’s Crescent area is not tranquil – vandalism, rowdy and anti-social behaviour and gang wars would come to mind, as the agenda of the local neighbourhood police panel shows.
Drugs on sale on the streets are not those prescribed for the elderly frail.
So not an ideal location. Nor that for the replacement of the Charlie Ratchford Centre in Crogsland Road.
That will be built right nest to the fence around the Haverstock School. So far the council has ignored locals protesting about the noise from the sports pitch there.
Games go on every evening until 10pm with floodlights ablaze. Extra-care sheltered flats would be built atop the Charlie. Not a good idea, not even with triple glazing.
Fourteen per cent of 6,000 papers sent out in the consultation were responded to.
Basically it was Hobson’s choice – approve our sales plan to fund, or no improved homes.
There is the rub – funding sources.
A government which can find billions of pounds to wage wars abroad will not fund essential services like renewal of care homes.
Hopefully the councillors will debate the plans in open session – and reject them.
What is required is smaller units better spread through the borough.
We are said to be an aging society, on average we live longer, and so there will be an increasing need for extra care homes, as not many can afford the fees charged by the private sector. Camden is to be commended in planning for that future, but the present scheme is not the answer.
SKIP MURPHY
Prince of Wales Road, NW1

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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