More than 70% of Ealing residents are already satisfied with Walpole Park

As recruitment starts on multi-million pound investment to improve Ealing’s Heritage Quarter

Residents have their say on Ealing’s Heritage Quarter

Hundreds of residents have been having their say on Ealing Council’s multi-million pound investment to improve Ealing’s Heritage Quarter.

The investment includes £2.8million for improvements to Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery, and £300,000 for Walpole and Lammas parks. The Council is also applying for match funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

More than 500 people attended the consultation event in Walpole Park this summer and more than 1,000 completed a survey about the park and gallery.

Findings include:

• 70% reported they were very satisfied or satisfied with the park overall.
• More than half of respondents said they visit Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery at least once a year.

• Nine out of ten respondents indicated provision of public toilets and availability of places to sit in the park are very important or important.

• A third of people surveyed use the park or manor house as a place to relax and enjoy nature at least once a week.
• Nearly half of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the children’s playground.

Council Leader, Councillor Jason Stacey, said: “It’s encouraging to see that so many people took the time and effort to complete the survey. It’s important to understand what residents think of our parks and open spaces, and what the Council can do to make them even better.

“We are now recruiting architects and landscapers to design improvements based on the consultation results. The designs will then be consulted on during the second phase of the public consultation.”

The Heritage Quarter covers the area from Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery and Ealing Studios to the roads around Northfields Avenue shopping area.  It will also take in Walpole and Lammas Parks.  The aim is to make the most of Ealing’s rich cultural heritage, improving the area for residents and encouraging new visitors into the town.

The full report will be available on the Council’s website at: www.ealing.gov.uk/consultations under the past consultations section at the end of the week.

The investment includes £2.8million for improvements to Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery, and £300,000 for Walpole and Lammas parks. The Council is also applying for match funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

More than 500 people attended the consultation event in Walpole Park this summer and more than 1,000 completed a survey about the park and gallery.

Findings include:
• 70% reported they were very satisfied or satisfied with the park overall.
• More than half of respondents said they visit Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery at least once a year.
• Nine out of ten respondents indicated provision of public toilets and availability of places to sit in the park are very important or important.
• A third of people surveyed use the park or manor house as a place to relax and enjoy nature at least once a week.
• Nearly half of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the children’s playground.

Council Leader, Councillor Jason Stacey, said: “It’s encouraging to see that so many people took the time and effort to complete the survey. It’s important to understand what residents think of our parks and open spaces, and what the Council can do to make them even better.

“We are now recruiting architects and landscapers to design improvements based on the consultation results. The designs will then be consulted on during the second phase of the public consultation.”

The Heritage Quarter covers the area from Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery and Ealing Studios to the roads around Northfields Avenue shopping area. It will also take in Walpole and Lammas Parks. The aim is to make the most of Ealing’s rich cultural heritage, improving the area for residents and encouraging new visitors into the town.

The full report will be available on the Council’s website at: www.ealing.gov.uk/consultations under the past consultations section at the end of the week.

A report prepared by Arup Research who reviewed the potential of the two mansions in the park has suggested that consideration should be given to converting them into a hotel or residential units. A second study, prepared by The Parks Agency, has highlighted the lack of investment and estimated that in order to restore the estate the two councils would have to contribute £2.75m in partnership funding to obtain grant support from bodies like Heritage Lottery Fund.

Both reports concluded that the joint management structure and the low priority given to the park by both Hounslow and Ealing Councils had resulted in the poor quality of the grounds and buildings maintenance. The Parks Agency said "the track record of the joint arrangement from the 1970s onwards can be judged by the current condition of the park, proof that it has not been effective". The reports recognised the financial constraints that the boroughs operate under but said that the current arrangement was leading to a strategic malaise which made improvement difficult. The failure of so many attempts to find a solution to the restoration of the Gunnersbury ParkStables was used to illustrate the deficiencies of the current set up.

Historic buildings like these are a precious and finite asset, and powerful reminders to us of the work and way of life of earlier generations. The richness of this country’s architectural heritage plays an influential part in our sense of national and regional identity. These Stables have been listed for many years and as Grade II* means that are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Only 4% of listed buildings are considered of this level of importance.

A spokesman for London Borough of Hounslow said, ""Hounslow and Ealing councils have asked expert consultants to look at options for Gunnersbury Park, and these will be assessed against the councils' conservation management plan. Once the consultants' report is received, the board will be inviting the community and all stakeholders to have their say on the possible options.

October 9, 2008