The Parkland Walk

tosscat

I'm only starting this because of the furious debate going on on the SG mailing group, but have you all seen the new Parkland Walk proposal - http://www.parkland-walk.org.uk/ There's talk of petitions don't you know.

andy

Are they going to pave it?

Four Eyes

Turn in back into a railway and give us back Stroud Green station I say.

David

Jesus. Why are some people [compelled to sanitise](http://www.parkland-walk.org.uk/pw_news.htm) things? The walk is fine as it is, why does it suddenly need: - A horse and motorbike ban - Speed limit signs - Sponsored summer walks - Bramble and excessive width control - A meeting where they have a bullet point on the agenda stating that children cycling to school are welcomed as long as they respect proposed new speed laws _(and presumably don't ride horses or motobikes)_ At least they turned down the lighting idea to save the bats. I hate busy-body committees.

SimonB

You're not far wrong Dave, but to be honest there are parts of it that are more akin to a swamp than a walkway ... so some cash to do it up a bit can't be a bad thing.

David

Yeah, busy-body council committees are reknowned for making good use of money. Talking of which, whatever happened to our [Landmark Building](http://www.stroudgreen.org/comments.php?DiscussionID=209) plans?

Lucy

I don't mind them filling in the swamp bits with gravel or something but I thought the point of the walk was as a nature reserve. Loads of things live in brambles and the overgrown parts of the walk. I really don't see the need for every section of green to be mowed or "tidied up". Why don't they just put better cycle lanes along some of the roads? There are woodpeckers on Parkland Walk! How cool is that in zone 2?

SimonB

There's a meeting at some school on Crouch Hill on Thursday to discuss the planned works.

Four Eyes

I think people should find out exactly what the proposals are before we condemn them. Investment must surely lead to some improvements such as the swampy sections as others say above. I overheard a group of three wheeled buggy brigaders yesterday standing at the Oxford Road entrance to park expressing their 'horror that the council is going to concrete over the walk'. Find out your facts first before scaremongering.

andy

I got this email from the Parkland Walk group:

<i>You may seen anonymous notices on the Walk. These are a misleading picture of the Council's Greenway scheme position, and do not reflect the Friends view. The headline in the Hornsey Journal is also excessive scaremongering. The Council's consultants have listed their ideas on the principles of the designs.

Picking out some of the key features, they note that following earlier consultation with some users, it was found that most people preferred the existing natural feel of the Walk, and want to retain the existing character. It is proposed that the path should continue to follow the existing alignment as far as possible, and that the path width will not be uniform. Drainage to be improved but the path resurfaced only where necessary. Access points to be improved and where possible made usable by people with disabilities.

Within such criteria there is still a wide range of possibilities and problems, and there are of course real differences of opinion on what should be done.

The initial thoughts of the Friends on general Walk issues are included in the 'Latest News' section of the website. The Committee has met to discuss the Greenway report and we are now compiling a fuller note setting out our position. This will be used at the Crouch End Area Assembly, which is to include a discussion of the scheme. This meeting takes place at Coleridge Primary School, Crouch End Hill, on Thursday 3 May at 7.30 pm, when all are welcome.

The consultants report is also on our website, with notes of the meetings so far, and these form the sensible basis for any discussion. Please read them if you can spare the time.

See www.parkland-walk.org.uk</i>