Sport not concrete say Lib Dems

4.17.28pm GMT Mon 3rd Oct 2005

Lib Dem Councillors Bob Wharton and Chandu Patel are fighting to protect Maybank Open Space

Sudbury's Liberal Democrat Councillors have called on Notting Hill Trust to keep their hands off Maybank Open Space in Sudbury.

The Open Space is extensively used for sport - cricket in the summer and football in the autumn/winter - by large numbers of local residents of all ages. The local LNER Sports Club currently has 17 different teams using the Sports field every weekend with extensive training program during the week.

The Notting Hill Housing Trust has been appointed by Brent Council to help rebuild the Barham Park Estate consisting of 214 flats. While the Liberal Democrats support the need to rebuild the Housing Estate and to provide the existing tenants with extra homes they are very critical of the process under which up to 600 flats are being considered - many in 4 storey blocks being proposed for the sports field.

Despite the Council's Planning Department opposing proposals to build on the Sports Fields over 12 months ago the threat has not gone away.

"The guilty party is the Labour Government which has continued to force local Councils to sell off their housing stock while not releasing enough cash for rebuilding crumbling housing such as that found on the Barham Park estate.

"As a result local tenants wait for years for a decent home while local Sports & Open Spaces are being lost or constantly under threat. We will fight with local people to protect Maybank Open Space which must be saved for the local community" say Liberal Democrat Councillors Bob Wharton & Chandu Patel.

The Liberal Democrats have written to Notting Hill Housing Trust demanding that they keep their hands off the Sports & Open Space and develop the Barham Park Estate on its existing site.

The Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Paul Lorber has also called on the Labour Government to help and meet the shortfall which is preventing an acceptable new housing scheme to be progressed for the area.