The Redbridge Big Sell Off

11.02.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 6th Apr 2007

Redbridge's Tory Council has committed itself to spend over £150 million on capital projects in the next 6 years. That's very exciting you may say - it will create jobs, business opportunities and provide new facilities that will benefit us all. The only small problem is that Redbridge does not have the cash and cannot get it from Central Government. So now the Council is trying to sell off every public asset over which it has control.

First to go will be the car parks at Charteris Road, Derby Road and the Central Line viaduct in South Woodford - which means even more flats! Allotments, public halls and parts of housing estates are all under threat. Together this will have an adverse on impact local shopping areas and cause irreversible environmental damage.

And what are the projects that the Council has in mind? Firstly, there is the proposed £30 million Olympic training pool in Seven Kings. Is this necessary when, apart from the Aquatics Centre for the Olympics, other neighbouring boroughs have plans for such facilities and the borough needs smaller recreational pools? Secondly, the Council intends to redevelop the area around the Ilford Town Hall, the so-called Unity Square project. This grandiose scheme, the purpose of which remains as yet unclear, (the words "elephant" and "white" suggest themselves) will include a cost of £10 million to knock down and replace the much loved Kenneth More theatre.

It all wouldn't be so bad if the plans were transparent and debated openly. The process is being managed by a group of just 5 Tory councillors. No member of the public is allowed to know what they discuss, no reports are given to the press and ordinary councillors have been legally gagged to prevent them from passing on any detailed information.