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Heath value for money?
• IT is not the impact of the proposed new road on Hampstead Heath that concerns me as much as the complete and utter disregard for the responsible use of public money.
If the issue is a genuine health and safety argument then surely the answer is to close down all vehicular access from the Lido to the café area and redirect all traffic to the existing Heath access point between the tennis courts at Highgate Road.
I am in favour of the proposal to repair the façade of the Lido and upgrade of the car park outside the Lido but can see no merit in removing hedges and laying new footpaths and roadways to the rear of the Lido merely to open Heath vistas.
l The team wants to justify their existence by implementing changes, but they should concentrate on delivering value for money changes such as planting rather than expensive engineering and construction schemes.
l The “golden treasure trove” of lottery funding provides a way of obtaining large sums of money which do not affect the limited budget of the Heath Management Committee. I believe that this has created an atmosphere of irresponsible euphoria and has resulted in the need to “dress up” the scheme to make the bid seem attractive so as to be noticeable to the Lottery Grant Committee.
l The scheme was prepared in a rush with the objective of bidding for the available lottery cash and neither a proper cost benefit analysis nor an impact study has been undertaken.
l The scheme was prepared by consultants. From my experience as a property portfolio manager with over 15 years experience in delivering property rationalisation schemes using tight budgetary control, consultants working on such schemes need to be held on a very tight rein.
All I ask is for some element of responsibility to enter the debate and for emotions to be subjugated to a clear-headed analysis of the facts and tailoring of solutions that have been properly costed in relation to the benefits and which minimise the disruption to a natural area of outstanding beauty.
MARTIN NICHOLLS FRICS
retired chartered surveyor Mackeson Road, NW3
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