Sutton park restoration begins as Richmond risks public alienation

• Mar. 1 by Mitchell Jones (1)

Birmingham City Council has started a near-million pound project to restore Sutton Park, just weeks after controversial plans were announced to introduce a “green tax” to the Royal Parks in London.

This Is Sutton Coldfield reported on the £954,240 grant awarded to the council which will be used to carry out a 10 year restoration and improvement scheme intended to return the park to the revered status that it had enjoyed in the past as one of Europe’s biggest urban parks.

The money, awarded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, allows the park to avoid the proposals drawn up in London which would see visitors to Richmond Park and Bushy Park charged up to £2 per hour which would be put towards maintaining the parking facilities at both parks, as well as the parks themselves.

Locals of both London parks have shown staunch opposition towards the plans, arguing that a charge will alienate regular visitors and subdue the overwhelming support that the parks have received. A public protest took place in late January at Richmond Park. Riversniffers, a blog based on the border of the Thames from Barnes to Sunbury, wrote:

About 1,000 people gathered in Richmond Park to protest against the plan by the Royal Parks commission to introduce parking charges in the parks’ car parks. In our borough, Richmond and Bushey Parks would be affected.

A full slate of local politicians from all parties attended. All condemned the plans as likely to hit the elderly and the less well-off particularly.

Richmond Park is the biggest urban park in the United Kingdom, spread out at 955 hectares of land in comparison to Sutton Park which, at 900.1 hectares, is the second-biggest in the country.

The issues raised in the Richmond Park debate could have an impact on the future of Sutton Park if the plans go through after the general election later this year.

David Pears of Sutton Park Advisory Committee told This Is Sutton Coldfield that they are hoping that the work carried out on the park will lead to future grants which will “help improve the visitor experience.”

However, it is not known where these grants would come from and it is possible that the council may look into other options to obtain funding.