Hackney Council has slammed plans for Crossrail 2 which involve the demolition of Britannia Leisure Centre or the imposition of a two-storey structure in Shoreditch Park after six years churning it up.
The park off New North Road and sports centre in Hyde Road are two of five spots in the area that Transport for London (TfL) is considering for a ventilation shaft for the proposed £20billion rail route, which will link Wimbledon and New Southgate with Tottenham Hale via central London by 2020.
Other possible sites are in Eagle Wharf Road or the car park at Britannia Leisure Centre.
TfL says it needs an intermediate 25m x 25m shaft in the area which is midway between Angel and Dalston stations, to provide tunnel ventilation, access for the fire and rescue services and an emergency evacuation route for passengers.
They also want to make provision for a junction between the two stations for a potential future Crossrail 2 ‘Eastern Branch’, and have decided to lump together the two elements into one single construction site “in order to minimise overall disruption”.
However park users have said that disruption to the community would be unacceptable and the council has stated it is inequivably against the two proposals.
Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney, said: “We see the protection of our parks and leisure facilities as a priority, and know how valued they are by our residents and what an asset they are to the borough.
“There are a range of complex elements to consider for each site, and we will submit our formal response to TfL’s consultation next month.”
Park user Oli Wood told the Gazette: “Alarmingly if a ventilation shaft was to be built in Shoreditch Park then there would be a construction site for up to six years with huge amounts of noise and air pollution, and once completed the permanent structure would take up a significant portion of the public space.
“This absolutely cannot be allowed to happen - Shoreditch Park is one of the few large parks in the area and is an extremely important community, environmental and social asset and space for the borough.
“When there are four other possible sites close by it seems mad they would chose to destroy the park.”
A spokesman for TfL said: “With regards to the leisure centre if the site was chosen this would mean the existing building would be demolished, but it could be a condition that a suitable replacement is provided as part of the planning process.”
Responses to the consultation will be accepted before January 8 at crossrail2.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here