Tories go for least popular option on Crane Valley

10.09.46am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Jul 2003

Councillor Martin Elengorn

TORIES FAVOUR OPTION 1 FOR CRANE VALLEY IN THE TEETH OF PUBLIC OPPOSITION

Cabinet Papers out tonight show that of the 4 Crane Valley Options;

11 respondents favoured Option 1, 18 favoured Option 2, 47 favoured Option 3, 17 favoured Option 4 and 63 favoured none of these.

Yet in cavalier disregard of the public wish for the greenest option or none at all a variant of Option 1 is proposed for approval. The residents' Option 5 is treated with patronising indifference.

Comments Lib Dem Councillor Martin Elengorn: "The Tories have tinkered about with Option 1 to cover up the fact that the Adult College and Tertiary College do not want to move to the inadequate Post Office site and the Post Office do not want them to. The threat to Heatham House has not been lifted and lip service only has been paid to nature conservation by preserving the outer rim of the Mereway allotments site.

All this is being put forward before the new ecological survey of the corridor has been received or considered.

Papers from the London Ecology Unit's 1999 survey have now been released and contrary to previous indications that the sites were of little value they describe the Mereway site as "a valuable area of relatively undisturbed scrub and grassland". Keeping just the fringes of this with residential development in the middle will radically reduce its nature value.

Still no planning reason has been given why these areas should lose their MOL designation and the Lib Dems will continue to support residents in their fight to preserve our green spaces"

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