Tories Plan To Sell-off Teddington Car Park

12.00.00am GMT Wed 11th Feb 2004

Teddington residents were thoroughly disgusted tonight when, without any explanation, the Tory majority on the Strategy and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee voted down a motion to refer back to the Cabinet the controversial decision to sell the North Lane East car park.

Said Councillor Martin Elengorn, a Teddington Ward Councillor "The residents and traders had gone to enormous trouble to present a carefully argued and comprehensive case against selling the car park but apart from a few perfunctory and clearly pre-arranged questions, the Tory members of the Committee apart from the Chairman were entirely silent throughout the 2 hour session."

"The Liberal Democrat members gave detailed reasons for referring back the decision to sell including;

1. It was crazy to sell a car park right in the middle of a consultation about parking in Teddington

2. It was equally reckless to sell the car park when the UDP Inspector would be making recommendations on its future within a few weeks

3. There was evidence of increased usage of the car park within recent months

4. If the car park was sold there was no guarantee it would continue to be used for short-term parking even if the UDP Inspector ruled against redevelopment

But they were voted down without any reasons being given.

Says Martin "The Tories showed shocking contempt for the Scrutiny process. Residents clearly felt the Tories' Scrutiny members had not come to scrutinise the decision, nor even to justify it but merely to nod it through."