What’s happening at Meanwhile Gardens? - 13/11/07
For many of us who live or work in Golborne, Meanwhile Gardens is a favourite place. The Gardens, meandering along the banks of the canal, provide a haven of peace, greenery and wildlife, including an outstanding variety of birds.So when posters began to appear announcing a campaign to 'Stop the Council building on Meanwhile Gardens', many local people were shocked by the idea that this precious space was going to be concreted over, to be replaced by luxury housing.
However, it seems that the truth is more complicated. It is a fact that the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea owns the land and has plans for development there.
The development will mean the demolition of the current dilapidated buildings at the extreme western end of the gardens which currently house the Meanwhile Gardens Community Association's (MGCA) staff and volunteer team.
A new community building with space for the staff and for community use will then fill the site, a development which is welcomed by MGCA. The Royal Borough plans to include four to six flats above this centre which will generate the finance for the whole project. A decision about whether the flats will be social or private housing is yet to be made.
The campaign by the ‘Friends of Meanwhile Gardens’ (contact below) against the development has certainly attracted the Council’s attention. In the middle of October, every home in the Golborne Ward received a letter from Councillor Nick Paget-Brown, the cabinet member for regeneration.
In it, he wrote, ‘The council has no intention whatsoever of building on the main garden or the scented garden [adjacent to the current buildings] at Meanwhile.’ The letter goes on to say that, ‘the intention of the Council is to seek to recover the costs of the scheme rather than to make a profit.’
So, it seems that Meanwhile Gardens is safe. And the Council has said that, once outline plans have been agreed with MGCA and MIND, the respected mental health organisation that runs the wildlife garden project, there will be ‘a number of consultation events in the area, enabling people to give their views.’
Golborne Forum will continue to press for the fullest possible public consultation.
Read about the MGCA’s position on the development on their website
Email the Friends of Meanwhile Gardens
Find out what the Royal Borough says about Meanwhile Gardens
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