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Stop playing with our space
I think that Councillor Philippa Roe needs to check the advice that she has no doubt been given by CityWest Homes and their Community Build team.
She claims (Opening door to new future for housing, July 31) “what we have proposed is to replace the current kickabout area with a brand new play area just yards away” as if what is on offer is even vaguely satisfactory.
Replacing more than 500 square metres of play space with less than 200 metres constructed on current car parking (and then replacing the subsequent lost car park space by digging up green space in our garden) is not such a good proposal for the residents of Luxborough Tower or our neighbours, whichever way Cllr Roe tries to spin it.
Furthermore the proposed “brand new play space” unlike the current one is completely out of sight, perfect to encourage the kind of anti-social behaviour she claims to be trying to get rid of. It’s unsupervised, secluded, location also means it’s completely unsuitable for young people from Luxborough Tower to use, which worries parents and local police alike.
I cannot comment on her proposals to build affordable housing elsewhere, but taking away our amenity and play space, digging up our green space, cutting our trees, disturbing us with 12 to 18 months of building work in order to build “luxury” flats to be sold on the open market seems a funny way of going about things.
CityWest Homes Community Build plan to build and sell the 19 flats on the open market, in order to make a surplus supposedly to finance building affordable housing elsewhere.
The current economic climate is a great time for this bunch to gamble with someone else’s money – that’s yours and mine!
Nick Vinson
Luxborough Tower, W1
Disrepair
I cannot find a single person in the area that agrees with the development scheme in Luxborough Street.
When I bought my flat, I did so in the belief that I would be able to make use of the spaces that were clearly signposted as being for residents, including the play area.
Since 2006, the play area has always been in a state of disrepair; neither CityWest Homes, nor the City of Westminster, have ever bothered to refurbish it.
Nevertheless, many of us have always viewed the play area as a site of tremendous use and considerable potential for improvement.
We have repeatedly discussed the fact that having the play area as a space for football and basketball provides a much-needed alternative to the nearby Paddington Street playground and local gyms, as those cater to age groups that exclude children in their early adolescence and teenage years.
Where are local children to play once they have outgrown the playground but are not yet old enough to be interested in gyms?
Many of us would be ready to contribute to a campaign of refurbishment for the play area, and feel that our views on the question have never been taken into account.
The fact is, Marylebone is a very young and vibrant neighbourhood, full of kids?
If the argument is that the city council needs the money in order to build houses in other neighbourhoods, I am convinced that another source of funding can be found, without disrupting our lives and the lives of our children.
Sandra Romito
Address supplied
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