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Fury as park walk cancelled

12:24pm Wednesday 19th September 2007

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Crystal Palace residents have slammed yet another London Development Agency (LDA) fiasco, after a public walk around the park to discuss its future was cancelled at the last moment.

The walk with the masterplanning team was due to take place at 1pm on Saturday as part of the Green Chain Walking Festival.

Earlier this month the Crystal Palace Park consultation team, who work for the LDA, sent out letters to residents, organisations and stakeholder telling them about the walk.

But the Streatham Guardian discovered the walk had been cancelled, with seemingly no notice to residents.

John Payne, chairman of the Crystal Palace Community Association (COCA), said: "This is yet another example of the LDA's incompetence."

Mr Payne said most of his group's 1,500 members planned to attend the walk. He added: "It's disgraceful - stakeholders were specifically notified this walk would take place."

Resident John Rix, from Sydenham Hill, said he had reorganised his weekend to be at the walk and accused Latz and the LDA of getting cold feet about facing the critics. "It's another example of the shambolic consultation by the LDA, which has cost us millions," he said.

A spokesman from the team said LDA-appointed architects Latz and Partners would host a similar walk for members of the press when the exhibition displaying plans for the park was launched instead. She said the public could see the plans at the exhibition, which will take place from October 18 to 31 at Crystal Palace station.

She added that a walk would be held on Saturday instead and apologised, saying the changes were not "an attempt to delude or deny the community any information".

She added the organisation's website would be updated to tell residents about the cancellation.

The LDA will submit its park masterplan to Bromley Council next month.

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richard francis, thornton heath says...
12:10pm Sun 23 Sep 07

Certainly, more of what we have become accustomed to, during the course of several years of "consultation". A bit of 'cold feet', as suggested above? Yes! And more than a liitle 'incompetence',as also noted. I even sense a touch of panic, in recent events, on the part of the LDA and Latz & Partners. Maybe it is time for them to admit their past/ongoing failures,
and adopt a little more humility in their whole approach to our Park. Incidentally, we are not alone, since Brockwell Park is suffering a somewhat similarly arrogant treatment at the hands of another mayoral quango - TFL, whose attitude to Crystal Palace Park has fallen well short of sensitive, let alone sensible.
United we stand on the FUTURE of PARKLAND EVERYWHERE.

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David, CR7 8EE says...
8:31am Mon 8 Oct 07

I have lived in the Upper Norwood area for all of my 68 years and I'm very annoyed at what appears to be yet another attempt to downgrade South London, and the Crystal Palace Triangle in particular.The area was created as a resort,and one still gets the feeling on the Parade of being on an esplanade, but being left wondering where the sea is. Well the 'sea' was The Crystal Palace, and the sooner it is replaced the better. 40 or so years ago, one could still buy Crystal Palace Rock, with 'Crystal Palace written all through it.Which emphasises just how much of a resort the area was, and can be again. With the new transport connections, both from the tube, and and Croydon Tramways, the improvement of the sports centre too, the 2012 Olymics could ensure the viability of the new Crystal Palace.
Remember too that this would be the 3rd Palace and not the second, and that the second palace,
a rebuilding of the 1851 Hyde Park Exibition, surely didn't suffer from a lack of vision and enterprise that our accountant led society most certainly does. All those who live in the area, have a business in the area, or simply enjoy the park and its facilities, should make their feelings known to this paper, and indeed to the LDA as soon as possible.

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richard francis, thornton heath says...
10:33pm Sun 28 Oct 07

As a fellow CR7 citizen, albeit of only 26 years' standing, I can fully relate to David's sentiments above - but only in terms of the 'downgrading' of South London, or the Triangle in particular which has (predictably enough) become the latest mini Grand Prix circuit or giant Traffic Island, thanks to the imposition of a one-way traffic system. Yes, where indeed is the "resort" or the "sea" off the coast of this "island"? Well, it is still there, in a state of semi-neglect (i.e. the Park, or land, where once stood the "second" Crystal Palace - a direct descendant of the first, which had been constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park). However, I do not indulge myself in any longing for a "third" attempt.
This would quite simply be a step too far, in our crowded, urban, polluted, unhealthy, unsustainable environment - and would offer nothing that we do not already enjoy. Trams, trains, tubes, buses, may alleviate transport "problems"
and assist the rebirth of Sporting excellence in the Park - even these may destroy some of our renowned clean air/oxygenating greenery. Any other "vision" can be consigned to the world of visionaries and dreamers. Those of us outside those categories may prefer some tranquility, which parks and open spaces, preferably green ones, can make a reality.
A little, inexpensive (even at today's prices) TLC might be all that is needed to restore Upper Norwood/Crystal Palace to its fomer position of "healthy suburb", with a long and interesting history to stir the imagination of those otherwise confined to a life of 'virtual reality'.

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