Letters from Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP and Jean Lambert MEP

9 February, 2001

Mr Walter Million
Borough Secretary
London Borough of Bromley
Civic Centre
Stockwell Close
Bromley BR1 3UH

Dear Mr Million,

I wrote to you on the 31^st January about my concern that Bromley were intending to fell trees on the Crystal Palace top site. Yesterday I learnt that the High Court lifted the injunction on preventing you from doing so.

At the same time however, I note that the High Court also gave leave for the appeal being lodged by Diane Barker, to proceed. In these circumstances it would be quite wrong for Bromley to start felling.

In my letter of 31^st January, I pointed out how strong local resistance was to Bromley's plans for developing the site. Should you take precipitate action by cutting the trees, it will harden the local view that you are simply not concerned about those who are most likely to be affected by the development.

My view is that if the trees are cut down it will make the possibility of any acceptable solution between yourselves, the developers and local stakeholders very difficult to achieve.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP

TO:

John Prescott MP
DETR
Eland House, Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU

8 February 2001

Dear Mr Prescott,

Proposed Leisure Complex Development at Crystal Palace Park

I am writing on behalf of many constituents who have contacted me over the last week because they are concerned that despite a still pending legal challenge to the Crystal Palace Park leisure complex development in the British courts, the developer seems intent on the felling of an alleged 150 trees in the Park in the near future. An injunction was obtained last Friday 2 February to stop the felling of the trees last weekend, in order that the outcome of the legal challenge not be prejudiced, but it is feared that the developer plans to pursue the tree-felling when the injunction expires today.

I would remind you that the European Commission expressed concern last October about the adequacy of environmental impact assessment before the granting of planning permission for this development (referring to Council Directive 85/337/EEC), and wrote a letter of formal notice to the UK government to that effect. I am not aware of any consequent direction from the government to the local authority to make a proper assessment. Furthermore, local citizens submitted a petition to the European Parliament's petitions committee on this matter of inadequate environmental impact assessment in late 1999, which has been declared admissible by the Parliament and is currently waiting to be heard. If the petitions committee finds in the petitioners' favour the Parliament will request that the UK government look at the proper enforcement of Community legislation in the UK. This could potentially be very embarrassing for the UK government.

With these considerations in mind I would urge you to instruct the developer, London Regional Properties, to drop immediately any plans to begin the felling of trees. Beginning to clear the site for development might prejudice the outcome of the case in the High Court and would not be looked on favourably by the European institutions when it is clear that local residents have still not had their opposition to the development properly addressed. There is increased urgency in this request as the nesting season begins towards the end of this month.

Thank you for your attention to this letter and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert MEP
London Region, Green Party

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