I spotted a note of irony between two articles in last week's Borehamwood & Elstree Times.

The first reported that Hertsmere Borough Council is objecting to the idea of a new football pitch in Meadow Park because it would "take up too much of the park".

The second reported that Hertsmere Borough Council has been granted permission to build a CCTV control centre, workshop and office building in Clarendon Park.

The CCTV complex is a commercial development and naturally of concern to neighbouring residents.

The buildings and car park will take in all the area covered by the existing old buildings and one-half of Clarendon Park.

The only access to the site will be via Grosvenor Road, a narrow cul-de-sac that already has significant traffic congestion and parking problems.

A 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week business in the park can only add to our traffic problems. The centre is a business and it should naturally be built on a commercial site.

The main excuse for building on the park seems to be that the "high security" complex will solve crime and anti-social behaviour in the park.

The flaw in this argument is that it will only displace the problems. The area between Eldon Avenue and Clarendon Road, particularly the service road, has suffered very badly from youth crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in the last two years.

A high-security complex in the park will only displace yet more problems into Eldon Avenue and Grosvenor Road.

Obviously, these problems do need to be addressed with some urgency, but by adding the necessary security (gates, cameras, lighting etc) to the whole affected area, including the park, coupled with regular police patrols at problem times, not by using them as an excuse to build on the park.

As far as a new football pitch in Meadow Park is concerned, wouldn't it be nice if local residents had the final say for a change?

Name and address supplied.

June 26, 2002 15:30