Last chance to save Packers?

by Postie Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:03

Article on last night's meeting:
http://tinyurl.co.uk/3y04

by artcle Tue Jul 18, 2006 19:51

FEARS VOICED AT MEETING OVER PACKERS FIELD

10:40 - 18 July 2006
People living near playing fields in Bristol which are due to undergo a major upgrade voiced their opposition at a meeting in the city last night. Work on Bristol City Academy's plans to develop the land in Whitehall, known as Packers Field, is due to start within a fortnight.

During a public meeting at the academy last night, attended by about 50 residents, academy head Ray Priest outlined the proposed restrictions and system of charging on the new-look fields.

New facilities will include changing rooms, a community room, two full-size and two junior pitches, a cricket square and nets, and a six-lane running track, plus fences up to 8ft high around the fields. Work is due to finish in 12 months.

Hannah Purbrick, 40, of Chelsea Park, said she believed people had not been consulted enough about the plans. She said: "There should have been more consultation from the start, when the plans were drawn up."

She also suggested turning the field into a wildlife area.

Kevin Donaldson, 30, of Easton, said he believed the fences will be too high around the site.

He said: "I feel 6ft fences and 8ft fences will make the field feel like a compound, rather than a nice place to be."

Ian Page, from local sports team Easton Cowboys, said he believed starting work soon was bad timing.

"Work starts at the start of the school holidays, this is always an area that children gravitate towards, and there will be a lot of heavy plant machinery there.

"There will be more kids in the streets because there's no Packers Field," he said.

He added that he also had concerns over the charges.

"I'd hate to go over there for some tai chi or something and find someone charging me a fiver," he said.

Amanda Lane, 50, of Carlyle Road, attacked the scheme's opponents. She said: "I'm delighted this development is going to be taking place. I'm very disturbed at the tone of the contributions tonight, and comments on websites by anonymous people.

"Some comments were put up on the same website where people bragged about vandalism to the city academy's Astroturf. It's disgusting."

At the meeting it was suggested by the developers that the vehicle entrance to the site might also move from Gordon Road to Johnsons Road.

Pedestrian gates to the field, it was said, would be open from morning to evening under a Community Use Agreement.

Mr Priest said activities like family picnics and 'informal games' would be able to continue free of charge, with restrictions to prevent interference with games and use of the pitches at the same time as the school.

Dog walking would be banned, he said, for health and safety reasons. Teams wanting to use the pitches for matches or training would be charged the standard city council rate.

Mr Priest said the charges were not being introduced purely to make money for the city academy.

He said the idea was to provide free pitches for people who wanted to hold informal sports games, but charge for more organised events.

He said: "There's lots of talk about the field being there to make money for the academy, but it's lost us half a million pounds so far. The biggest issue with the site for the school is health and safety and child protection.

"If you have a group of guys on one pitch and a family in the corner, what difference does it make to our school match - none.

"If someone comes in on a motorbike or chases a child, then the groundsman would be reasonable in asking them to leave."

He said if there is surplus income from charges, it would be ring-fenced and go towards the upkeep of the fields.