Free Parking

The tireless and extremely patient John Urquhart, founder member of Save Newcastle Wildlife and now posting as Cities 4 People sent this a few days ago:

"The following Focus newsletter item was picked up in an anti-litter drive on Armistice Day:

Row Over Park's Trust Appointments

Newcastle Lib Dems have raised serious concerns after several people with direct business interests in parks were appointed to the new Trust which will run the City's Parks - including a senior executive from an organisation which not only runs projects in our parks already but which also employs the Labour Councillor in charge of parks.  The Trust's rules will allow organisations in which Trustees have a personal interest to enter into contracts with the Trust, provided these interests are duly declared.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Ciaran Morrissey said "Many people will be concerned by this news.  While we understand that the Cabinet member recused herself from the panel which appointed her employer, several of the new Trustees have close connections with the Council.  The lack of park users, volunteers or community representatives on the board is really disappointing."

Following the board appointments, the Council is now struggling to recruit a Chief Executive.  Initial applicants were deemed to be unsuitable for the role.  "The Trust is lurching from crisis to crisis before it has even got started," added Ciaran.  "We truly fear for the future of our Parks under this pointless vanity project."


You read that correctly: Our 'Labour' local council is going to give public parks to business people to have and to hold on long leases. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I suppose compared to losing a Grade II Listed building to arson, it is no big thing ...

Meanwhile, Battlefield embraces autumn, finally. Recently I came upon a reference to the name Shieldfield Green attached to this piece of non-public space. That would make an excellent name for park, don't you think?

Link to photographic album here (off site link).

Fireworks

A few images of the just past firework display over Battlefield (a.k.a. City Stadium).

Large crowds, all young-ish and well behaved. So were drivers of numerous cars looking for parking or passing through.

In other news, Save Newcastle Wildlife reports that plans to concrete over Newcastle's Green Belt have been modified. A fence has been removed or moved. I cannot get worked up about this to be frank. That sector of the Green Belt – 'The Great Park' – is done for. The usual suspects are knocking up wooden sheds with a brick skim as fast as possible and thousands of new tenants are being placed away from shops, schools, doctors and hospitals that can only be reached by motor transport. Great planning it's not. Meanwhile the student flats mania around the inner city continues, possibly the biggest building scheme in Newcastle since T. Dan Smith got busy smashing up the west end with a wreckers ball.

Those of us who care about the environment, both natural and built, have to be more imaginative. I shall be developing my ideas with examples in future posts.