Warriors campaign for the wastelands

6:44pm Tuesday 17th June 2008

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BOASTING more than 200 green spaces and woodlands, Barnet has long had a reputation for being one of London's leafier boroughs.

But the neglect of parklands and playgrounds has prompted some people to accuse Barnet Council of putting financial savings before environmental and community responsibility.

Campaigners want to see abandoned, overgrown areas regenerated for children's recreation to help reduce youth crime and antisocial behaviour.

Warrens Shawe Lane, in Edgware, Pavilion Way, in Burnt Oak, Stanley Road playing fields, in East Finchley and Sturgess Park, in Hendon, are a few of the spaces which local politicians and residents want to see turned around.

Councillor Kath McGuirk, Labour environment spokeswoman, believes that while money is being focused on the borough's premier parks, pockets of Barnet are being ignored.

She said: "Even though Barnet is deemed a large, leafy borough, many parts are neither green nor leafy.

"If you live in cramped accommodation, your kids need a place to kick a ball around or else they will get absolutely desperate.

"The premier park scheme is obviously not working and takes attention away from the many problems under the surface."

But councillor Andrew Harper, cabinet member for the environment, stressed that every resident in the borough has a premier park within a mile of their home and that nearly £200,000 was spent on infrastructure repairs in 2007/08 in the borough's other parks.

In Grahame Park, five and a half additional hectares of open space will be provided as part of the regeneration, including gardens, play areas and public parkland.

Mr Harper added: "It is not accurate to say that open spaces such as Pavilion Way, Warrens Shawe Lane and Stanley Road have been left overgrown without any action being taken.

"The council is in active negotiations to achieve successful outcomes for residents at all of these locations while securing value for money for the council."

However, after a decade of being derelict, Warren Shawe Lane is about to be leased for development and neighbouring residents of Stanley Road playing fields and Pavilion Way sports ground fear these valued patches of land are heading the same way.

Finchley Community Development Trust chairman Roger Chapman, who led a protest against the sale of the Stanley Road fields in April, said: "We are deluged with reports of growing obesity in the population, and of the need to improve health and provide facilities for our youth.

"Yet the council seems intent on getting rid of land that has been used for sport and recreation for nearly 100 years, totally ignoring the needs of the community."

Labour MP for Hendon, Andrew Dismore, believes these areas will be sold off for development and have been left to fall into disrepair to save the council money in the meantime.

He said: "It is disgraceful these sites are being sold. There are more than enough brownfields sites to build on, so an extra few houses in places like Pavilion Way will hardly make a difference.

"You can't tell kids to stop making a nuisance of themselves and then, on the other hand, not give them somewhere to go."

However, Mr Harper said no formal decisions have been made regarding the future of Stanley Road playing fields.

He said: "The council has been in discussions with the Finchley Community Development Trust regarding the trust's plans for the playing fields and is currently considering the best solution for all parties.

"There are also some outstanding legal issues to be resolved before any decision can be made on the future use for the playing fields."

Labour councillor Zakia Zubairi has been campaigning for more green space in Colindale for several years, and believes the premier parks scheme should be expanded.

She said: "Children want to play outside and use green facilities. This is the best thing that you can involve them with.

"But Colindale lacks these things. A year ago four children came to my surgery and showed me a place behind Barnet College where they liked to play. All I found there was were broken bottles and tins, and they're still there now.

"The premier park policy for rich areas like Mill Hill Park works well, but Colindale, West Hendon, East Finchley and Burnt Oak all need the same attention."