In the last edition, a resident complained about the "improvements" on the "Tube" side of Arthur Road, not least because no-one had been consulted. Indeed, the pavement was widened, but the 20 plus bicycle parking bays project into it, so restricting movement. On the rare occasions when bikes are parked, there is less space. At peak times, those leaving the Tube station have to jostle with other pedestrians, where formerly it was easy to move around. What is the maximum number of cycles that you've seen at any given time? My record is 4, which hardly justifies the huge sums of money involved, the inconvenience during all the building work and the sheer unsightliness of the result.

If you walk along Strathearn Road, you will now see an ugly swathe of bare earth where previously grew abundant vegetation, giving cover for birds and a diverse habitat for wild life. This little plantation was the result of Margaret Reuben's negotiations for nearly two decades with the owners, first British Rail, now Rail Track. Permission was given for this former eye sore to be turned into a haven, and local groups & businesses gave support. Overhanging shrubs, it was agreed, could be trimmed from the railway line. Instead, on 31^st August, Rail Track sent in a team to go in from the road to uproot completely where shrubs were allegedly obscuring a signal corridor. To cap it all, the entrance gate is now padlocked, so no one can enter to water or prune. Needless to say, neither Margaret nor anyone else was asked, or warned.

An official position was neatly summarised in a reply sent in July 1999 by Merton Council's Head of Planning and Public Protection to a resident who complained of the disruption, dirt & nuisance caused by builders converting a house in Arthur Road, nominally a conservation area. I quote verbatim, but the capitals are mine: -

" Your comments highlighted two common misunderstandings about the planning system; that the conservation area status prevents development and that the views of LOCAL people ARE or OUGHT TO BE important in coming to a planning decision."

That says it all really         E.M.B.