World Cup will blight our summer in Regent’s Park

• THE intention by the Greater London Authority to hold a screening of 60 of the World Cup matches during the whole of the month of June, for some 20,000 people, and to sell alcohol freely, will cause serious damage to the park’s natural habitat as well as representing a major health and safety risk.

The designated area is used daily by substantial numbers of schoolchildren for recreation and sport; but the closure of a large section of the park, including one of the children’s playgrounds, for at least five weeks will deny them access not only during a key part of the summer, but presumably for many months after the events to allow the grass to recover.

Although there are a considerable number of football stadiums ideally suited for such events within London, they cannot be considered, presumably because alcohol is not allowed to be consumed there while watching football. 

Surely, it is far more dangerous to hold such events in an area which is not designed to hold such a vast crowd and which will require far greater policing to ensure public safety. 

Have our public authorities still not learned the lessons of the Hillsborough disaster?

JOHN & AMANDA MALPASS,
Mornington Terrace, NW1

• LIVING near Regent’s Park, with four kids, I’m appalled by the application by the Greater London Authority for a 20,000-person event, with alcohol being served, for the football World Cup in June.

The park should be a haven for peace and enjoying its natural beauty. 

Inevitably with the disruption of setting up and dismantling the event, this will mean park users won’t be able fully to enjoy the park for up to six weeks in the lovely summer months. 

All our lives are hectic enough without this – and surely pubs are there to host watching what I agree will be a great sporting event.

The case is being reviewed by Camden Council in March. 

I urge readers to contact the council to object to this application

NICK PAHL
Albert Street, NW1

Don't give the football killjoys a win

• ONE of the great privileges of living in central London is the access we have to the Royal Parks (Sports are kicked out of St James’s Park, January 22). 

To have these green spaces for wildlife and leisure is a benefit inner-city dwellers anywhere else in the UK just do not have. The way in which sightseeing, picnicking and playing games intermingles is wonderful to see and take part in.

So what do the killjoys of “Friends of St James’s Park” think they are playing at? 

Not only do they want to ban football and other ball games from the park but apparently the police should “break up” any attempted games “as a matter of priority”. 

I can think of one or two priorities the police should have round here and breaking up children’s play time is certainly not one of them! People have always played games in the parks, which are overlooked by the queen and the royal family. They don’t seem to mind. How much grander and more important do the park’s other “friends” think they are?

NAOMI SMITH
Liberal Democrat 
Parlia­men­tary Candidate for Cities of London & Westminster