Council Threat to Lake Farm Country Park and Botwell Common Green Belt - Sign Our petition

www.john-mcdonnell.net

Without any public consultation Hillingdon Council has announced that it is proposing to build a school on green belt land at Lake Farm Country Park at Botwell Common, located at the corner of Botwell Lane and Botwell Common Road. The first local residents heard about the proposal was when the local newspaper published limited details of a Council cabinet report last week. I contacted the Council to find out what was being proposed but could only discover that a report had been discussed at the Council’s cabinet meeting this month identifying this site for a school. The construction of a school is not compatible with green belt policy.Local residents campaigned with me for over 20 years to secure Lake Farm as a country park for our local community and we don’t want to lose it now. In addition local councillors and residents groups have reported that there are other brown field sites that are available in the south of the borough which would be suitable for a new school. I convened a meeting this evening (Tuesday) for residents living near the site and there was strong opposition expressed to the choice of this site by the council and real concern voiced at the failure of the council to undertake a proper consultation with the local community on a full range of options for expanding school places in the area.

The council’s cabinet meets again this week and there is a deadline of early next week for a decision on whether a council scrutiny committee calls the cabinet proposal in for review. We have launched a petition for presentation to the Council calling for a consultation on a full range of options for new school places.