Hands On Our Park website (unofficial) - Misinformation

Covenants

There are covenants covering the entire Town Park, keeping it safe in perpetuity. It is to be used as a Town Park, with free and open access for all. Enquiries to the council about covenants two weeks before the cabinet meeting met with stalling - the person we asked, who was in a position to know, claimed to be 'waiting for advice'. Eventually, AFTER the vital cabinet meeting, the reply came that the information was available from the Land Registry. This is true, of course, and you won't be surprised to know we now have copies. However this stalling can only have been deliberate - the council must have known about these covenants and had records of them.

Where does the economy with the truth come in? At the Cabinet meeting and at the later calling-in meeting, councillors allegedly had never heard of the existence of the covenants, although they are mentioned in the Management Plan. Either they were not telling the whole truth or officers had kept very important information from them.

Not to worry though - the Head of Legal Services advised that there were always ways to get round covenants. Not while HOOP is about!

Boundary

Various officers and members have been confidently asserting for years that 'the Town Park has no boundaries' or that no-one knew where they were. Odd, since the information is readily available from the Land Registry and has been clearly indicated in a multiplicity of official council documents for years. Yet the 'Friends of the Town Park' couldn't get an answer, however many times they asked. Also very odd, since there is a maintenance contract on it.

The Park is not used

... the southern end at least. Total nonsense - in fact, a complete lie. It is used for a wide variety of organised and informal events, as well as being used for walking, jogging, dog walking, horse riding, bird watching, fishing - by a great many people who don't happen to tell the council when they arrive and leave. It makes a fine excuse for selling bits off though - pity it is not true. Where on earth does the council think the recent Race for Life was held? On the other hand, how much more use do we want? This is genuine, quiet, unspoilt countryside. Like many other green areas of Telford, now buried under housing, it is valued for what it is and would be ruined by Disneyfication. It is also not true that efforts need making to get more people from ethnic minorities into the park (how insulting, how patronising!) - people of all varieties and ages use it now.

Adding extra land

Well, this is a real porky. These honourable intentions were solemnly declared in the Shropshire Star and Insight magazine, among other places. No - chopping out large chunks and adding one very small one is a DECREASE in size, not an increase. Maths lessons needed for certain senior members and officers, or maybe a dose of truth drug.