MERTON Council has promised to produce a draft management plan and consultation for Cannizaro Park but it could take years. The park is in a queue behind others in the borough with greater chance of being self-financing through sports, catering and other facilities. These are totally lacking in Cannizaro which is primarily a horticultural, botanical, and wildlife centre with a strong tradition of arts activities.

The Council's approach is to produce a plan for every park in the borough. At a Parks Forum on 8 November arranged for supporters groups from many parks, there was almost no mention of Cannizaro. Instead, a draft plan for another park was distributed to all groups present with a deadline for comments by early in 2006. 

The Council promised that final management plans would have financial information but so far this amounts just to references to grant applications, not real budget figures on annual park running costs. Parks supporters were told that the annual departmental budget would rise with inflation in future rather than being repeatedly cut as in past years and the £2,953,080 for 2005/6 compared with £2,800,000 in 2004/5.

No information is yet available on how the years of cuts in maintenance funding that have so undermined Cannizaro's Grade 2* listed status will be reversed. Last spring Merton said the flagship park management plans would take about a year to develop and finalise.  From these, it was supposed to produce a priority implementation plan, bringing forward a number of projects and requirements.  The report would also contain information regarding staffing levels, work levels and a development programme. 

The management plan for Cannizaro Park is a commitment under the Merton Open Space Strategy (MOSS) for the borough. The strategy has been drawn up as part of the London Mayor’s plan for the future of open space throughout the capital.

The strategy includes clear commitments to increase frontline staffing of the parks. It says: "Staffing levels in the parks have fallen consistently over time. This has led to decreased quality of parks...and amenity features... Low staffing levels remove the public face of the council and reduce the public perception of safety and security in the parks.

"The lack of human resources to maintain the parks to high quality standard has reduced staff morale significantly. Investment in human resources is fundamental to the implementation of the MOSS." Merton would also "research new ways to manage parks" and "look at funding policies and priorities for parks maintenance".

For More Information Contact:

Friends of Cannizaro Park
Willow House, 35 High Street, Wimbledon Village, London, SW19 5BY
Email: tony.matthews@blueyonder.co.uk