Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone has condemned Haringey Council for another disgracefully bodged consultation – this time over the installation of a skateboarding facility in Priory Park (Muswell Hill ward). Local councillor Lynne Featherstone is furious that ward councillors were not even consulted about the big money scheme, which is against official guidelines, especially so for a scheme that may cost around 176,000.

Now, local residents are up in arms about the plans which involve concreting over part of the picturesque bowling green in the heart of the park. Lib Dems have long backed skateboarding facilities, but their efforts to help the Council come up with workable schemes have consistently been rebuffed. Another Lib Dem councillor David Winskill (Crouch End) offered to work jointly with the Council over the provision of much needed skateboarding facilities – but the Council refused to let him participate in their working group. Lib Dems say that the badly thought out scheme could have been avoided if there had been consultation with local residents.

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“There has been no consultation with local people. We will also be asking Haringey Council why I and other local councillors were not consulted about this. Many local residents are amazed that there can be a plan to remove the bowling green without a proper consultation. We need skateboarding facilities, and we have offered to help – but the Labour Council has, as ever, gone about things in an underhand way – and this is the result. We now need a full and proper consultation.”