PARK USE BY SCHOOLS - Unwelcome

Published: 30 July, 2010

• YOUR story about revising park bye-laws unfortunately misses the point.

This is not about restricting access to parks for children, but more about stopping private schools from taking over public parks at the expense of other park-users.

The experience at Violet Hill Gardens in St John’s Wood has shown that unrestricted and uncontrolled access to the gardens has enabled Abercorn School to use a public park as an extension of a private school.

This has greatly upset many local residents who now feel that they are unwelcome visitors to their local park.

I welcome changes to the bye-laws which will help to give Violet Hill Gardens back to local people.

Of course, many schools use local parks on a one-off basis and that must continue.

But it is wrong that Abercorn School should have built on their playground, to then take over Violet Hill Gardens every day because there is nowhere else for their pupils to play.

CLLR PAUL DIMOLDENBERG
Leader of the Labour Group