Forum Topic

Gurnell closure

While not wanting to stir the pot, a cynic may say that the EBC is deliberately allowing Gurnell to fall into disrepair and then claim it must be demolished.  Lo and behold they will then say the site is ripe for redevelopment and we have a plan.

alan raine ● 1851d20 Comments

Not cynical at all, it's exactly what this garbage Labour controlled LBE Administration would do .............

Rosco White ● 1851d

Shades of the bowling green in Gunnersbury Park

peter king ● 1851d

There should be rules that state that swimming pools, recycling centres etc etc must be provided by the local Council in a certain radius. Many years ago I feel it probably wasn’t  necessary to force a Council to provide basic amenities, but now they seem to be clueless about anything except making money out of developers and keeping cyclists happy.  Ah the good old days, or was I just less aware of the dirty goings on?

Maggie Dodge ● 1851d

Exactly what the CIC and it's pals in Ealing and Hounslow Council did with the Bowls Club.Bowls is now on a huge resurgence across the UK and already in the many many countries on the planet where it has been played for generations.It's played abroad by a much wider age range, but it is starting to widen here as well.It's a low cost clever game, out doors skilful and sociable.But it cannot compete with greed, wilful bullying and fat filled pizzas and plastic amusements.The way CICs and councils operate really takes the biscuit.

Raymond Havelock ● 1851d

Some political parties don't believe in providing state funded facilities.

Philippa Bond ● 1849d

Yes, one only has to look at local Labour.

N V Brooks ● 1849d

Yes, the Tories would sell their own grandmothers.

Philippa Bond ● 1849d

Yes, a bit like trying to gift public assets to millionaire football club owners or leasing a hall that you don't own to a hotel group. Hold on, that's not the Conservatives that's your beloved Labour party locally.

N V Brooks ● 1849d

Bowls is a great sport.  Requiring skill and strategic thinking.  Personally (while not wishing to sound like an oldie-mouldy), given skateboarding and bmx are now in the Olympic games I think that bowls should also be an Olympic sport not just CG.  But i guess that the pc brigade might see otherwise, due to the perceived player base.

alan raine ● 1848d

Bowls was included in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 but only as a 'demonstration sport', it has not made it to either the 2024 or 2028 lists.

N V Brooks ● 1848d

Shame, there is tremendous skill involved.

Rosco White ● 1848d

What on earth makes you think that I would agree with the way that either of those projects have been gone about!  You do however need to consider why they would go about creating such  complicated ways of creating housing.

Philippa Bond ● 1846d

Considered, and the more obfuscation and confusion means that paper trails are, at best, tortuous. This means that sweeteners could be far harder to uncover.

N V Brooks ● 1846d

Absolutely, overflowing vats of money sloshing around.........

Rosco White ● 1846d

If you take a look it is played in every continent, by both sexes, by a wider range of cultures and ethnicity and over a wider age range and ability range than almost any other sport.No, it's not Football or a mass spectator sport but it is a very social and encompassing actual participation sport.The sort of sport that many funded organisations crow about us all doing but have not lifted a finger in support of Bowls.It is true that the perception in the UK or at least in the urban jungles of the UK are somewhat distorted.

Raymond Havelock ● 1846d

How to get people out and away from their TVs and computers?  Do you think you have to make it more of a social occasion.  Could you get it played by schools?  I remember in the sixth form years ago getting chances to try all sorts of different sports I would not have otherwise tried.

Philippa Bond ● 1846d

It is played in some schools but not in the Greater London Area. However the ILEA ( Inner London Education Authority) did have a bowls facility and several inner London schools participated .But it was a bit staid and untrendy ( as was happening in Cricket )Bowls has followed Crickets revival in other countries where it now attracts teenagers - it's happening here but alas not in London where the recklessness and closed vision of councillors and council officers has wrecked many clubs in their gullible and opinionated flirting with commercialisation.

Raymond Havelock ● 1845d

That's also a problem with cricket where it can now cost an awful lot more now to rent the pitches eg at Chiswick House.

Philippa Bond ● 1845d

Commercialisation otherwise known as compulsory competitive tendering introduced  by ....

David Burke ● 1845d

Actually public small amenities such as bowls clubs are not subject to compulsory competitive tendering.Gunnersbury was a clear case of bullying and back door deals aided and abetted by Council officers, councillors and the CIC.And, I understand the planning meeting was presided by a voting ward councillor who also happens to be a trustee of Gunnersbury park and did not make that fact known, nor that she had peddled untrue assertions about the cost of the club.A club that had had totally self funded for almost 25 years.Its morally corrupt at the very least. And indicative of other things going on in these two rotten boroughs administrations.

Raymond Havelock ● 1845d