West End Extra - Letters: It's a right Royal shame

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 20 April 2007

It’s a right Royal shame

• KAREN Buck MP rightly complains that teenagers are being priced out of using sports pitches at Paddington Recreation Ground (MP says teenagers priced out of using sports pitches, April 13).
This is what happens when authorities hand over facilities to the highest bidder without consideration for local residents’ requirements, and Westminster Council should be ashamed of this.
Unfortunately, the same thing is about to happen in Regent’s Park if the Royal Parks have their way.
While Westminster Council has no authority over the Royal Parks, Karen Buck’s own Labour Government does, but the minister in charge, Ms Buck’s colleague Tessa Jowell, has done nothing.
So now we’ve lost our local, affordable and popular golf and tennis facility, the school having been evicted without warning, and only the planners stand in the way of a new private five-a-side football centre.
This will mostly cater for corporate clients from outside the borough, its offer of discount access to schools being of little use because of transport and staffing issues.
In return for the cash, the Royal Parks will allow the felling of 60 trees and the concreting of a meadow in the corner of our beautiful park to make way for a walled enclosure, club-house and astro-turf pitches.
We should not allow this tragic loss for local people, and a repetition of the mistakes at Paddington Recreation Ground.
MARK BLACKBURN
Liberal Democrat Candidate
Abbey Road Ward
By-Election

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. 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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