Time for a reality check

The public consultation was concluded in the summer of last year. Since then, aspects of that consultation have been called into question.

Unfortunately, not all the concerns raised by residents have been addressed by the powers that be. There have been attempts to set up public meetings with the planners —with the press in attendance — but for reasons known only to the planners they refuse to agree to such meetings.

It escapes me why an open meeting with the press present should not be allowed to go ahead.

We now know that the population of the Ladderswood estate will double and jobs will go and be replaced — for the time being — with jobs on paper. However, these jobs may never materialise, especially in the current economic climate.

I think it’s time for a reality check. These proposals for the area will not work. The project is far too ambitious and returning to the mistakes of the past with high-rise blocks will not encourage community, it will dismantle it. The high-rise blocks of the Sixties and Seventies have shown us this. let’s not go down this road again and let’s learn from the past. Yes there is a need for some regeneration but let’s do it with eyes open and clear thinking.

This is not just about building new homes, this is also about providing sustainable community and social inclusion in our area — and in this case less is more.

Terry Peacock
Caradoc Evans Close, New Southgate