Sign for ‘New Wray Crescent Park Building’ 

• CRICKET and the local community at Wray Crescent Park have got on well enough over the last years. The park has been a home for local and visiting cricketers even without a functioning pavilion.

Unfortunately the current council strategy has caused a split in the park community, (Cricket plan for park: ‘They should have asked us – howzat?’ June 18).

Islington Council is putting cricket use of the park ahead of the community, and understandably they don’t like it.

The current consultation does not ask for different ideas for the redevelopment project but simply presents us with a £500,000 cricket pavilion design and asks how we would want to use it. The council should stop this current consultation.

We need a meaningful local consultation that asks what the community – including the cricketers and the footballers – want to see built in the park.

At least £250,000 of council money is funding this project and it’s not right that the views of local people are not being considered. Our elected councillors need to lead with an inclusive consultation and listen to their community.

This an amazing opportunity for a multi-purpose building that can bring us all together and strengthen our local community – sporting or not – young and old.

Covid-19 has introduced us to more of our neighbours and local parks and created a greater community cohesion. Let’s build on this by creating a community hub that we can all be proud of.

JONATHAN WARD
Islington Green Party