The Green Party’s candidate for the Mayor of London elections next year, Sian Berry, pledged to make City Hall drop its top-down grand projects, and set-up a unit to support community trusts trying to run the park and sports centre, library and housing estates. She met with representatives of the Crystal Palace Park Community Stakeholder Group, the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, the Save Upper Norwood Library Campaign, the neighbourhood forum, the Save Central Hill campaign and the Transition Town transport group.
Sian commented
“I was really impressed by the community groups in Crystal Palace, who clearly have the ideas and energy to revitalise their park, library and housing estates. But I was struck by the frustration and anger with City Hall and councils which obstruct them and impose flawed top-down proposals that they have to fight off. I want to end this top-down culture, and instead make City Hall support community-led projects and plans all across London. If elected Mayor, you can be sure I wouldn’t try to dump a massive commercial building on your park or knock down your housing estate!
“A Green City Hall would stop secret negotiations about Crystal Palace Park and let the community trust take control of the park’s future, joined up with the fantastic sports groups working for a future for the National Sports Centre. We would set-up a team in City Hall to help communities trying to develop viable business models for community trusts, whether they run parks, libraries or housing estates, and work to persuade local councils to get behind their residents.
“As a transport campaigner, I also want to clean up the terrible air pollution around Crystal Palace. Greens in City Hall will continue to back residents with a vision of streets for people not just cars, where children can safely walk or cycle to school, and places like the triangle aren’t clogged with traffic that never stops to shop.”