Monday 17 November 2008

Outrage at Bute Park destruction

Freiends of Bute park wrote to the council - 14 October 2008 Dear Julian Stedman

I write to protest most vehemently at the proposal to build an access road and bridge for large lorries to enter Bute Park. This proposal will destroy and change forever a large number of mature trees and a significant proportion of a truly magnificent park.

Cardiff has one of the largest inner city urban parks in Europe - I'm absolutely outraged that yet again an elected body is proposing to eat into and defile a precious and outstandingly beautiful space for short term convenience. It appears that the council has already begun preparations to enact the proposal without, as far as I'm aware, properly publicising and consulting it's constituency. Everybody who visits Cardiff, and we work with people from all over the world, remark on how lucky and privileged we are in Cardiff to have such an incredibly wonderful and universally accessible space at the very centre of our city. It is comparable to the Wansee in Berlin the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and Central Park New York in it's beauty and usage.

At a time when we are all being told by government, environmentalists and ecologists that the threat of global warming is the main threat facing all of us, and the safeguarding of the environment is crucially important to everybody, our council seems to be intent on destroying mature trees and introducing an invasive and polluting highway to a tranquil and exquisitely delicate space. Cardiff is full of misconceived, wasteful highway "innovations" and "solutions" which appear to have been introduced by amateur and environmentally illiterate administrators. This council wastes millions each year on short term, ill conceived traffic plans which cause havoc to everybody without achieving any real solutions to the problems of traffic pollution or flow. There are no electric trams or hybrid buses anywhere, no proper provision for bicycles or really effective pedestrianisation of city centre streets. The introduction of noisy, polluting and incredibly dangerous "bendy buses" has been a disaster of epic proportions. The Bute Park proposal will add to a growing list of serious environmental and highway incompetence's.

The administration should be forced to spend some public money visiting our twin city Stuttgart to see what a proper integrated transport system looks like. In comparison Cardiff is third rate and backward.

Bute Park, Pontcanna Fields and the rest of the river parks are brilliant examples of utilised inner city public spaces - superbly accessible to everybody, young and old, infirm and athletic. They are precious resources to be protected and guarded by those who purport to represent us as responsible and intelligent politicians.

It will be your eternal shame if you violate the trust the people place in you go ahead with this madness. You should be setting a supreme example to us all not indulging in environmental hooliganism at such a crucially important time as this.

As a company involved in advertising and filmmaking we will do our utmost to make sure that this issue is publicised as widely as possible in an effort to stop this violation and erosion of a wonderful public resource.
Sincerely,
Les Mills

Beryl Productions International Ltd
Chapter • Market RoadCantonCardiffWalesUK • CF5 1QE
Studio Tel/Fax: 44 (0)29 20 226 225 • Office Tel & Fax: 44 (0) 29 20 666 418
Studio Email: studio.beryl@btconnect.com • Office Email: les.beryl@fut.net

Company Directors: Les Mills & Joanna Quinn

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