Richmond Park proposals welcomed

12.00.00am GMT Wed 26th Feb 2003

Monday's announcements about Richmond Park have been welcomed by Sir David Williams, Councillor for Ham and Petersham, including half of Richmond Park.

"These are a sensible compromise after all the discussions and consultation over the last three years, and I'm glad that the 20 mph speed limit was supported by a majority of the public."

Although the car park at Pen Ponds will be considerably reduced, this will give visitors who want to drive near to Pen Ponds the opportunity to do so.

But the Royal Parks Agency will be able to restore the eroded grass areas that have suffered from overuse for many years. And some of the lost parking places will be replaced in other perimeter car parks.

Although the case has been made on safety grounds to restrict use of Robin Hood Gate, Councillor Williams would have preferred rush hour only closure.

The main problem is long distance commuter traffic using Robin Hood Gate in the morning rush hour.

Diverting traffic to Kingston Gate or Roehampton Gate may cause problems for local residents near those gates. The experiment for 12 months will need careful monitoring.

Councillor Williams said, "Getting the balance right between protecting the Park, but not causing serious problems for the communities outside will always be difficult. But subject to seeing how the Robin Hood Gate closure works I think this is a step forward."