Public Meeting 7.00pm Thursday 11th October

Letter from: John McDonnell

Council Threat to Build on Lake Farm Country Park Botwell Common
Public Meeting 7.00pm Thursday 11th October
Botwell Social Centre, Botwell Lane, Hayes

I am writing to invite you to a public meeting to discuss the threat by Hillingdon Council to build on our local Lake Farm Country Park on Botwell Lane / Botwell Common.

As you may know, the council wants to build a primary school on our park despite the fact that there are more suitable sites and local schools are already expanding rapidly and a new school is already planned elsewhere in Hayes.

Many people suspect that if a new primary school is built on our park there will soon be plans for a secondary school on the site, which will take up the whole park area and we will lose one of the last areas of open space green belt land in our area.

There are also concerns that the council is refusing to consider properly alternative sites because they have ear marked them to sell off for housing. People believe that the income generated from these land sales for housing in the south of the borough will be used to pay for improvements in the north of the borough.

The council has even refused to release the consultant's feasibility study looking into the range of alternative sites in our area.

However, we know now that the council will be submitting a planning application to build on our country park within the next month.

I have convened this public meeting to discuss our plans to oppose this attack on our green belt open spaces.

Please do come along to the meeting and please do invite anyone else you feel would be interested in this threat to our environment.

Yours sincerely

John McDonnell
MP Member of Parliament for Hayes ~ Harlington