MoS saved our parks!
Double victory for campaign as councils abandon plans to concrete over Essex park and build on Westward Ho! green 1
THE Mail on Sunday’s Save Our Parks campaign has scored a double victory after two local authorities scrapped plans to axe green spaces.
A proposal to pave over a park and turn it into a car park for council staff in Loughton, Essex, has been dropped after a backlash from residents.
Campaigners are also toasting victory in Devon after residents ‘killed off’ a council’s plans to build houses on their village green in Westward Ho! Both schemes were featured in our campaign to save thousands of parks under threat from council cutbacks and developers.
Councillors performed a U-turn on a £300,000 taxpayer-funded plan to build a council car park on Marlescroft Way Green in Loughton just days after our report last week.
Epping Forest Council cabinet member Syd Stavrou said: ‘I feel we have to listen to local people. I have listened and decided the potential benefits of this car park don’t suffi- ciently outweigh the objections.’ Ada Sula, 37, a mother-of-two who lives near the green, said: ‘This is a victory for common sense.’
In Devon, campaigners praised our coverage for playing a key role in stopping ten houses from being built on a park in Westward Ho! We first reported on the plans in October, forcing councillors to send the project back to the drawing board.
Last week, Torridge District Council members finally ditched the housing scheme after hearing that Northam Town Council, which covers Westward Ho!, had a business plan to save the 1½ -acre park.
One of the campaign leaders, Nick Laws, said: ‘ Our community has killed off any idea of building houses on the park. The Mail on Sunday played a totally crucial role in that.
‘ You publicised our fight at the start of your parks campaign and you kept up the pressure.’
The victories come after the Government last month pledged a £13 million cash injection to help improve Britain’s parks. Earlier this year, campaigners backed by The Mail on Sunday hailed a victory in the High Court after judges ruled against plans to build dozens of luxury homes on a historic park in Liverpool.