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Well Well Well. Would you believe it a legal bill of £20,000 and still rising fighting residents trying to preserve a green open space. Well done to the Isle of Thanet Gazette (28 May) for persevering to get the information that TDC did not want released. Others have estimated the cost to the taxpayer more like £80,000.
Today's IoTG (4 June) letter page has a mass of letters condemning TDC's asset disposal policy.
It appears a great shame that local politics is not doing us any favours. The loss of green open space is a social cost to all of us. I quote from the Open Spaces Society "Selling green spaces is a false economy. If you rob people of their playgrounds they are much the poorer. Green spaces help to keep people healthy—it’s far better to spend on prevention than cure".
TDC's recent record on green open spaces is not good. We need a change of attitude before developers cover our island in concrete.
We now have the Marine and Coastal Bill. I wonder if anyone has looked at that in relation to asset disposal of coastal sites. We wouldn't like our council to do the wrong thing.
Atrocity in the name of asset disposal. Truly.
ReplyDeleteRobert I think there has been a softening of attitudes since we established Westbrook's Town Green. There have been some changes since in the administration and TDC seems to want to work with groups. However it pays to be vigilant to ensure we do not lose any green open space.
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