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Mitchison Road Pitch
Greenspace have been allocated funds by the Council,
the 2012 Olympic Committee and others to upgrade the
Mitchison Road ball-pitch (backs onto some dwellings
on the north side of Ockendon Road). The plan is to
raise the surface by up to 1.5m in order to increase
its surface area and to help improve handicapped access
(a ramp alone is said to be too expensive). The overall
aim is
to improve to pitch so that it is once again extensively
used for team matches etc. Lighting would be improved
with back screens to reduce light pollution. A top
section inclined inwards to prevent balls escaping will
be added to the existng fence behind Ockendon Road but
insufficient funds in the current budget mean that the
fence itself will not be renewed in the current proposal.
This is a major concern for those Ockendon Road residents
whose homes back onto the pitch since holes in the fence,
made by children wanting to retrieve balls, provide easy
access to potential burglars. Raising the level of the
pitch by 1.5m will facilitate access to Ockendon Road
gardens and further reduce security.
Greenspace claim that they will ensure that sufficient
funds are available next financial year to provide a
burglar-proof fence. The feeling among residents, however,
is that, once the refurbishment is completed, provision of
a new fence is unlikely to be a priority. Since Greenspace
have been aware of residents' concerns for several years,
a new fence should have been a priority item in a
refurbishment proposal costing £185,000 in total.
The effect of this plan will be to reduce the security of
Ockendon Road residents at a time when the Canonbury Safer
Neighbourhoods Team have made reducing burglaries in Ockendon
Road a priority (Canonbury Safer
Neighbourhoods). Several residents have written to the
planners to oppose this plan and we await the outcome of
the planning meeting on 3rd October when the proposal will
be considered.
Update
Councillor Belford writes:
' Works are due to start very shortly. I did request
that they didn't begin in December as originally
agreed to give you all a peaceful christmas. I was
also worried that as there had already been one
burgalary attempt it would not be a good idea to
remove the fencing around that time. As it turned out
there has been a long process to go through. Sorry to
have not kept you up to date on this but this time of
year is always busy for a Chief Whip. I hope you are
all well and promise to keep you informed from here
on in'.
In a subsequent communication copied by Councillor
Belford to ORRA it is stated that work will commence
on 17th March.
Further Update
Work did start on 17th March and is still in
progress on 6th September. Is this a record?
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