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The Dalby Street developer is just taking the Mickey
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T RUSH’S letter (Is it just highway robbery? Oct 19) will have provoked anger in those who still believed Camden Council Assistant Director of Planning who wrote on December 1 stating, about the Dalby Street, scheme that “the application proposes no encroachment on the open space.” The reality is otherwise.
Results published by the Green spaces charity Campaign to Protect Rural England show that Camden Council has one of the worst records for building on green spaces.
According to their figures, between 2001 and 2004, eight per cent of new homes were built on ‘Greenfield’ or otherwise undeveloped land.
Camden Council came in joint second to last place with Lambeth of the London inner city boroughs.
Camden disputed the figures, and claimed 100 per cent of new homes were built on brownfield or otherwise previously developed land.
The proposed gigantic scheme at Talacre which will be built almost exclusively on open space land and on our much used highway (Dalby Street) will provide interesting datas for the CPRE’s next report.
Those who are as outraged as I am should write to their councillors to appraise them of their strong disapproval. Better still, write to the CNJ and help spread the message. If you don’t, be prepared to see all the greenfields and/or open spaces up for grabs by greedy developers.
Before the by-election in Kentish Town ward, political parties interested in winning a seat should become aware that voters will not tolerate such an appropriation of our valuable green spaces.
Michael Patterson Brown
Gloucester Avenue, NW1
• THE developer at Dalby Street now wants the Parks and Open Spaces Department to grant permission for service vehicles to gain access through the busy Talacre Gardens during the couple of years it takes for him to erect his scheme.
This means that vehicles, including heavy dust carts, would have to cross the main footpath right next to the playground.
The drivers would then have to reverse back since there is nowhere for their vehicles to turn around at the Sports Centre.
I work with small children, and I can tell you from experience that such an arrangement would be extremely perilous. Small children can easily escape the attention of their parent or guardian.
They do not look where they run, especially in a park. A park should be a safe place for them to be. The presence of vehicular activities of any kind at Talacre Gardens would be an accident waiting to happen. The developer is acquiring quite a lot of open space already. He should, therefore, make some arrangement on his own land to make space for vehicular access.
Liz Gosnold
Gillies Street, NW5
• EXECUTIVE Member for Environment Councillor Mike Greene has finally come out on the proposed closure of Dalby Street (We are listening over Dalby Street, October 19.)
His reassurance that all issues will be considered by the Executive is welcome. However, everyone must be alert to the developer’s intentions. Even at this stage when the public can no longer make representations, he seems intent on changing his plans.
Recently, it has been learnt that an approach has been made to grant temporary consent for dustcarts to approach the Talacre Community Sports Centre by way of the park pedestrian route passing alongside the playground for small children.
Such a hazardous arrangement if allowed would last for two or more years and doubtless involve other service traffic. The impudence of the developer seems to know no limits.
Celine la Freniere
Talacre Road, NW5
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