Councillors refuse to shut ‘vandal park’

5:15pm Thursday 27th September 2007

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A decision to leave the gates to Victoria Park open at night has left some Surbiton residents feeling fobbed off.

Residents of Victoria Avenue and Endsleigh Gardens said they are plagued by late night noise and acts of vandalism to their cars, which they believe is a result of people using their road to access the park at night.

“My car alone has been vandalised 15 times this year, if you multiply that by 70 residents that is a lot of vandalism that we are having to pay for out of our own pockets.”

Martin Wandsborough

Martin Wandsborough, who lives in Victoria Avenue, said: "My car alone has been vandalised 15 times this year, if you multiply that by 70 residents that is a lot of vandalism that we are having to pay for out of our own pockets."

Despite handing in a petition with 41 signatures, the majority of councillors at the Surbiton neighbourhood committee meeting voted against a proposal to lock the gates from dusk until dawn.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Liz Shard said she had a duty to park users as well as neighbouring residents.

She said: "I'm scared of someone being trapped in the park. People do use it at night and there is a chance they could get locked in and that's not something I'm prepared to live with I'm afraid."

Council officers also said that electric gates could cost up to £10,000 per gate, and would risk being vandalised. Councillor Yogan Yoganathan pointed out that very few of the crimes mentioned by residents were reported to the police and that residents should register their thoughts in the green spaces strategy consultation which is going on at the moment.

But this was not enough for Sharon Madon, who started the petition, who said that the results of the consultation would not be dealt with until next year.

She said: "We are going to vehemently continue with this.

"Even though we've been fobbed off by the council we are not going to let it go and for a start we will be writing to our MP Edward Davey."

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