Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 12:59 pm on 17 March 2009.
My hon. Friend raises another excellent point. In fact, the consultation document has not been distributed at all to residents of my constituency. Information has been communicated through the Royal Parks Agency website and by contacting local Members of Parliament such as me, although my hon. Friend was not on the contact list, and other stakeholders.
It has been left to me, for example, to leaflet my local area to let residents know what is happening. When I was out leafleting in Roehampton a couple of weekends ago, I bumped into a local resident and explained what we were doing. She was unaware of the proposals under consultation. Is it right to do a consultation when the people who will be most affected by the car parking charges have not been contacted personally by the Royal Parks Agency? The communication process has been left to other people and local authorities. That does not seem to be a good way to ensure a broad-based response to a consultation.
I am concerned about two impacts. First, people will be affected—in particular, a lot of my constituents—because there is no good public transport to the park from Roehampton and Putney and because we do not have as many pedestrian entrances as other sides of the park. The plans will be unaffordable for frequent users. Ironically, the people who care most about the park will be the ones who have to pay the most for it. Dog walkers will be particularly hard hit, as will low-income families. At a time when families might be looking for free and affordable leisure options, they will find that the one option right on their doorstep, which we should be reaching out to encourage them to use, has suddenly become unaffordable.
The proposals will discourage families from using the park. Many families, especially young families, simply cannot all get on bikes and cycle there. I am sure that the Minister understands that travelling by car is often something that people do not want to do but must do to enjoy a family outing together. As I have said, the proposals will also hit the elderly and less mobile, many of whom do not qualify for a blue badge, but are not as fully mobile as the rest of us, who can simply get on a bike and cycle there.
My concern is that if we are not careful, Richmond park, the wonderful park on our doorstep, will end up being the preserve of the rich and the middle classes, and lower-income families and the elderly will simply be priced out. That is surely wrong. Surely, for the next generation, we must reduce the barriers to using fantastic parks such as Richmond park. Many of my constituents in Roehampton, including children, live in flats. They do not have gardens. The park is their outside space. There is a danger that if we introduce car park charging, they will get the message, "You can look, but you can't touch. You can't experience the park."
One reason why I was so pleased to secure agreement to a pedestrian gate into the park from the Alton estate is that we should be doing everything we can for such communities to remove barriers to using the park. The more we can reach out to encourage all parts of our community to use the park, the better. Car park charging in Richmond park can go only in the reverse direction. I cannot see how that stacks up with the Government's approach to museums, for example. They have been proactive in saying that we should remove charges that might prevent people from using museums because they cannot afford to do so.
Surely, in these days of caring about the environment, wanting people to understand how to care for it and trying to drive up recycling rates, ensuring that people can use the environment right there on their doorstep and encouraging them to do so has never been more important. I wait with interest to hear the Minister's response. I know that I am not the only Member concerned about the issue. We all appreciate taking care of the parks environment, but clearly we need to find a balance, and I am concerned that that balance is not being struck.
I am grateful to the Minister for confirming that she is happy to meet me after the consultation and before she takes any final decision. That is much appreciated. I will certainly take her up on that offer.
Annotations
John Lock
Posted on 25 Dec 2009 5:23 pm (Report this annotation)
Justine Greening is being disingenuous here, making out that Richmond Park is the only open space available to her contituents on the Roehampton estates. She omits the fact that the Roehampton estates are remarkably well-served with open space access. Roehampton Gate is a few hundred yards south of the estate. Putney Heath just the other side of the road on the west side and Wimbledon Common on the south side. These are all substantial and well-used by the residents.