Hands On Our Park website (unofficial) - letters already written to Councillor White - make your contribution too, please!

As the town developed we obviously started to lose some open areas, such as the sites where Stirchley, Randlay, and Hollinswood now stand.  That was inevitable, and had been on the cards for some time, we accepted that.  However, the one thing that did develop nicely was the Town Park.  We were given a place to roam freely.  A place that you could go as a family for a day out, or just to spend a few hours.  It gave a roadless link from almost all parts of the South of Telford up to the Town Centre, and at the Town Centre end we were given a large public space to enjoy and use freely.

I can remember quite clearly attending events that filled the arena such as the Telford Super Saturdays, theatre and concerts held down at the amphitheatre, Kids International.  Some of these events I have even attended as an adult.  Even without these types of events, my wife and I still spend large amounts of time in the park whenever possible.  It is a place that allows me to pursue my hobby of photography with some ease (I am disabled and sometimes find it hard to go to places that do not have suitable access, something the park does provide).  We enjoy watching the wildlife that lives (or visits) there, photographing whatever I can capture within my lens.

If more events were to be held there that were well enough advertised, then we would probably attend more of them.  Things such as concerts in the arena, just like the ones held at Milton Keynes Bowl would be great.  Events like the old Super Saturdays would get people in from all over.

In short what I am trying to say is that both my wife and I love having a town park to visit and enjoy.

So it is with very upsetting for us to hear that there are plans afoot to try and build on more of this wonderful area, and that Telford & Wrekin Council seem to be totally deaf to the wishes of its constituents who are pleading with them to leave our park alone and, that they seem to think that they are above the law and think it is OK for them to ignore the covenant of the Title Deed for the land which clearly states;

"1. The Transferee covenants that it will at all times hereafter observe and perform the following stipulations and restrictions:-
(a) Not to use the Property for any purpose other than as a public Town Park."

Which to me reads as "This is a public park for all time, NOT a building site when the fancy takes the local authority!".

We want Town Park to remain as it is...  We DO NOT want any development work done to it, unless it is to improve the existing FREE PUBLIC amenities WITHOUT FURTHER GROWTH.

Please do not let Telford & Wrekin destroy such a fantastic place just so that it can make a fast Buck by selling off the land to developers.

Thank you for your time reading this.  I hope that it will be read and the comments made within passed on to someone who might actually care about what the people want.

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I look at North Shropshire and realise that although they have a lesser Council budget – they are mindful of any further commercial developments.  They think about whether or not the buildings are needed or will be an eye sore for local residents.  They think about whether or not certain brick colours should be used etc.  And the result- an also booming housing market but with a gorgeous looking centre!

What I have seen in Telford is little thought about the aesthetic beauty which buildings can have.  If they are well designed with adequate recreation areas they can work; thus giving a strong sense of ownership to residents.  This can help to retain respect for the area and reduce maintenance costs. 

So far I have seen lots of bored teenagers (particularly those from less well off families) causing plenty of destruction.  The families who can afford to send their kids to various paid activities are lucky.  Those who are less fortunate are left with not many places to go or things to do.  They have little space to kick a ball and often become a nuisance factor for this reason.  You have recently bought two Youth Club buses to meet the teenagers.  Why had nothing been done previously for them?

The Town Park is somewhere which is regularly used and over the years is somewhere for families, joggers, rugby players, cyclists, riders, pickinickers, teenagers and for events to be held. 

The last time I remember seeing a free family festival for the people of Telford was about 7 years ago.  Although the Telford Tourist Board and Council make brochures I feel that they do very little to publicise events in the park.  It has wonderful attractions, stunning nature reserves, great parking facilities, an amphitheatre, a bandstand, Japanese Gardens, The Silken Way etc. 

I can highlight the problem of ‘lack of publicity’ by example.  I went to Spout Farm, Town Park on the weekend and saw an advert for ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.  The poster said that it would be held in the Amphitheatre.  The list on the notice-board outside the Tourist Information said to ‘meet at the Bandstand’.  Where are people supposed to meet??  Why wasn’t it advertised months before???  And not just at Spout Farm but all over Telford.  Telford is not an island – if you don’t tell people in all areas – they don’t know about it (marketing).

When I visit other successful parks such as Wolverhampton or The Quarry in Shrewsbury – I see great potential for our Town Park.  Why don’t the Council ‘take off their construction hats’ and take a walk around it – see the park as a gemstone – something precious and not to be destroyed easily.

The park is one of Telford’s best asset’s (on a par with Ironbridge).  You go to the play area and you know that on the weekend there are people from Wolverhampton coming to Telford for a day out!  By planning regular events which involve all sectors of society you will make the park a safer, more memorable place for everyone.  Get National Heritage involved with the Nature Reserves!  You have the likes of grebes, swans, woodpeckers etc.  Can you live with yourself if you flippantly destroy it?

The people of Telford work hard for a living - but exist.  If you make more of a feature of the park it will create ‘a breathing space’ for people to ‘wind down’ in.  It provides a safe area in which teenagers can socialise and express themselves.  By encouraging sporting activities you will keep people away from the hospital sick beds (which keeps the Council Tax down).  With so many other wildlife habitats being lost to building companies and development – surely it would be sensible to cherish one really outstanding area?  It is an asset.

If you continue to develop at the alarming rate and with little thought and people will move OUT of Telford – not in!!!!

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The Town Park is an asset to Telford and your staff ensures that it remains so. I must admit that I am more than a little concerned regarding the plans to develop the park. I do not know why our town councillors are so keen to destroy what we have. I do not think that many of them spend as much time in the park as I do. Are they aware that people come from many miles around to walk in the park, picnic, and exercise their dogs? After all even if one lives in the depths of the country there are very few places to walk your dog. Farmers do not encourage dogs on their land and one can usually only walk your dog in lanes. You cannot let your dogs run free as one can in the park. By run free I do not mean out of control but simply sniffing, meandering, and doing all the doggie things that dogs do.

But most importantly are the town councillors who are so desperate for change aware that the park is also a nature reserve? I have been amazed at the wild life I have seen on my outings in the park. Many kinds of rats, shrews, mice, voles, moles, lizards, snakes, slow worms, rabbits, hares, foxes, badgers, frogs, toads and many more. The bird life is also as varied as it is large, everything from a sparrow to Buzzards and an Eagle Owl. I have counted eight different species of butterfly and various moths including to my delight a privet hawk moth and an elephant hawk moth. It is surprising just how close one can get to them when on an electric scooter. You make so little noise and very little vibration. Only last week I got within six feet of a very large grass snake, which was sunning itself in the middle of a path. Any attempts to develop the park will surely spoil what is without doubt the very best mixture of woods and heath that I have seen anywhere and I have not even mentioned the prolific pond life yet. I hope they will let sense prevail and leave things alone.

Incidentally I heard part of a news bulletin on BBC Shropshire Radio today that Telford Town Park has been given a very prestigious award for being one of the very best parks in the country. Another excellent reason for leaving things as they are and not making alterations.

I have seen many grass snakes in the park but the one which amazed me was about four feet six inches long which almost certainly makes it a female, and almost as certainly one of the largest to be found in this country as they grow to a maximum of about five feet, but that is rare. Strangely enough it was in an area which is being proposed for development. Why spoil the environment of such wonderul creatures. Incidentally many areas, Staffordshire for example, are desperately trying to encourage grass snakes to breed, not destroy their habitat. I may even have seen an adder at another location not far away but it was a little distance away and they are even more nervous than the grass snake however its markings are very distinctive even at a distance.

What I am saying is that we have an absolutely superb Nature Reserve in Telford. For Heavens sake do not destroy it, preserve it just as it is, because once this sometimes rare wildlife disappears it has gone for ever. Our school children have an educational asset which many inner city and indeed other schools would give anything to be near to. Do not destroy it, please do not destroy it.

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Because of the very low key approach by borough council in calling for interested parties to come forward and join the "friends" the membership barely rose above five or six interested people, all of whom lived in very close proximity to the park.

As no further membership was forthcoming the diversity of interests which was required rather held matters back.

However many wide and varied topics about the park did take place, and as time went on interest seemed to be bringing one or two council officers to the meetings then this number grew to about six or seven officers on a regular basis, who then seemed to be taking over all aspects of the proceedings and that was when I decided to resign.

The borough council in its recent attempt to inform the public about its proposals for the park then used all those old discussion ideas we had compiled at the meetings of the "friends".

The confirmation of the boundary of the park was to provide physical barriers/fences to show where the park began and ended as this was not at all clear, and better signage to denote same.

What borough publicised was a complete alteration to the legal affirmed boundary excluding areas that they now hoped to build upon,

I wrote to Michael Frater and most councillors of this error prior to the March cabinet meeting but my letter was ignored.

The suggestion of transport link in the park was an idea of mine but which was on a much lower key proposal, but borough managed to blow this up out of all proportion.

Borough have not carried out the degree of maintenance that their records suggest and therefore any park as well used by such diverse activities such as Telford have to be properly managed not least of all the vast nature conservation area.

When we talked at "friends" meetings about access to the park, we were meaning providing access to all areas which are overgrown and unacessible at present not access ways into the park which is what borough picked up upon.

Any mention about future development within the park was for such items as cafe's and additional toilet facillities and perhaps a town park farm.

But Borough took this to the level of housing and industrial uses the removal of car parks building leisure centres, when they new that the infrastructure was just not in place to accommodate such development as this.

I am concerned that the regeneration of Dawley is quietly creeping up upon Paddock mound etc, area of the park and a very unsuspecting population of Dawley.

In light of the closure of Ironbridge Powerstation in the not to distant future the borough council should be making preparations to secure the length of railway line that currently serves this facillity as the only transport link with the gorge which is self contained and with the minimum of expenditure could be altered to accommodate regular bus links between the town centre and the gorge, before it is closed and built over.

Now how plain is that idea, but I bet it gets changed into something quite different.

The point I think everyone is miffed about is that if the public were consulted on a proper basis the council may just be suprised what little gems of useful ideas may actually come to light that everyone would be happy with, presently the public feel that they cannot properly voice their opinion this may take a little longer to process but it would suitably satisfy the public and perhaps reduce the number of objectors, the same thing is happening at priorslee, because the council will not listen to the voice of the public, who lets be fair about this only care about whats happening to their own town which at present is almost ok! but which may be seen as being about to be taken apart?

Do ask the public for its opinion, there is a whole lot experienced people out there that could assist the borough in building a better Telford which does not include park and ride carparks in town centres!!!!!.

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The current proposals, which appear to be to sell for housing, parts of the field adjacent to the junction of Stirchley Road and Stirchley Lane presently used by Wrekin North Riding Association and to erect ‘facilities’ as well as for this area to be used for shows, fairs and other events are shocking. 

The field has always been just that: agricultural land.  It is used by a large number of people (me included) on a daily or twice daily basis for dog walking, recreation, as a short cut, for fitness training as well as by the horse riding community.  It is a pleasant open space and, with its easily accessible wooden fence, is a preferred entry route by many to the rest of the park.  Building houses and facilities would destroy the openness, restrict the access, make it unsuitable for the horse riders and remove most if not all its other utility while holding fairs and other events would ruin the tranquil rural feel of this end of the park as well as causing great disturbance to the nearby residents.  Providing car parking and other access would also be detrimental. 

One reason that the council is under the misapprehension that this end of the park is un- or under used is that their census takers do not count the numbers of people entering the park via this important site.  It is a mistake to think that a count of pedestrians on the Silkin Way represents a fair assessment of the number of people entering or using the park from the south.

The area beyond this field towards Dawley Way is also of immense value to the park.  It gives the impression of being a natural, unspoilt habitat for wild life having rough ground, woodland and wetland that are unique in any large town.  This would also be lost if the proposed sell off went ahead.

Another issue that greatly concerns me is the provision of a transport link along the Silkin Way.  Every weekend and on many weekdays in the summer as a pedestrian, I encounter family groups riding bicycles along the Silkin Way.  One reason for this is that it is almost the only safe area for such activity: there is no danger of encountering vehicles, children are safe from inconsiderate and incompetent drivers and motorcyclists.  Similarly, dog walkers have only to avoid cycles.  Running a vehicle along the route would be a major hindrance to the enjoyment and use of the Silkin Way by many of us.

Finally the way in which council officers suddenly appear to have ‘forgotten’ where the boundaries of the park lie seems preposterous; anyone resident here for more than a few years has a very good idea of the limits as they have been clearly shown on many maps and publications.  To pretend that these were somehow not known just at a time when matched capital funding is required for grant applications strikes some of us as extremely suspicious. 

The boundaries are known and parts of the park should not be sold to raise capital.

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The traffic along such a minor road (stirchley road) is already at mainroad proportions, with high speed traffic already flying through as it is used alot of the time as a cut through. This is not just the general public though they are the main offenders as there are obviously more of them, along with tesco delivery lorries, to name just one, who some how manage to get the truck airborn over the ramp at the end of my drive every time!!!

Several times a day police cars use our road as a cut through mostly at extreme speeds and not just in emergencies. The traffic calming measures already in place have no effect to calm anything except damage the vehicle of the local residents who permenately have to put up with them. I have no alternative to this but i can see before to long with the traffic as it is now that a serious mishap is going to occur. If the council make the south end of the park the main entrance or if they go ahead with some of the more rediculous proposals that they want to, our road might as well become a motorway as the amount of traffic using it then will be astronomical. That alone should be enough to say to people,  STOP.

This will have a serious knock on effect to all our lives in this area. Think carefully before you agree to anything and look at it from our point of view not from a financial point as is all to often the case these days.

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