Anger over playground ‘vandalism’ at Hugh Myddelton Primary
Published: 5 February 2010
by PETER GRUNER
CHILDREN who have lost one third of their playground at a school Clerkenwell this week discovered that three distinctive 70-year-old poplar trees had been cut down.
Local resident campaigners were heartbroken at the sight of workmen and tree cutters moving onto the former playground in St John Street. It marked the end of a long and bitter campaign against a housing development which they didn’t want but which will pay for badly needed improvements to Hugh Myddelton Primary School.
The plan is to build a 10-storey block of flats on the former playground space at the school. But residents like Rose Collison described the scheme as “environmental vandalism”. She added: “Of course I support the need for more housing. But not at the expense of a school playground and not at the expense of three wonderful trees.
“The trees have gone for good and the children will now have a vastly reduced playground and look out onto a blank wall.”
St Peter’s ward Labour Councillor Martin Klute voted against the scheme when it came up at a meeting of the south area planning committee. He said: “Local people are very angry and upset. This scheme I believe goes against all local and national environment policy. Loss of part of a playground for an inner city school can never be justified. Nor can the loss of three magnificent trees in an area devoid of greenery.
“The ruling Lib Dems did a similar thing over at Barnard Park in Barnsbury a few years ago when they allowed flats to be built around the perimeter to pay for improvements. The question is, where will it all end? How much of our natural assets will they sell off to pay for improvements?”
Lib Dem councillor George Allan, chairman of the south area planning committee, said that the school itself had come up with the idea of the housing development to pay for a new £1million improvement scheme and music centre opened recently by former pupil Yusuf Islam (formerly pop singer Cat Stevens).
“The tree roots had already damaged the part of the playground making it unusable,” said Cllr Allan. “This has been a very popular scheme for the school.”