Where are the voices in support of path?

On Tuesday, July 20 I attended the council meeting at the town hall to put a supplementary question: "Would you therefore agree that in the case of Battlemead the council has already ensured that there is sufficient access for the public, including the long sought for Millennium Way link between Widbrook Common and the Thames path, and the unnecessary path across the East Field could wait to be implemented after ecologists have assessed the bedding in of the ecological plan in five years’ time?" (abridged – the full question is on record).

In her answer Cllr Stimson mentioned that she needed to appease the anger of those who wanted the path opened.

I have seen no evidence of that anger – on the contrary, of the 226 emails and letters sent last summer on this subject to Cllrs Johnson, Stimson and the parks and countryside team, only 18 were identified as being in favour of such an opening.

Over the course of the last few days hundreds of people have put their names to a petition calling for the East Field to remain closed to the public.

If there are hundreds of angry voices in favour of the path then surely in the interest of transparency they should make themselves known?

Meanwhile a large number of rational citizens continue to ask that the council listen to them and keep the East Field closed and nature there protected.

You can find the link for the petition here https://petitions.rbwm.gov.uk/savebattlemead/

DEBORAH MASON Save Battlemead, Save the Planet

campaign