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Anger at cemetery plans on BBC sports ground
Furious residents of Motspur Park are fighting plans to turn a popular green space at the heart of their community into a cemetery.
Irish millionaire Ben Dunne bought the old BBC Sports Ground more than three years ago, with the intention of building a state-of-the-art cut-price leisure centre, but the plans were scrapped when council officials told him the Metropolitan Open Land must remain.
Mr Dunne's company Barkisland Developments has now submitted an application for a cemetery on the 20.5 acre (8.3 hectare) site, which will be overlooked by houses in Motspur Park, Bargate Close, Ancaster Crescent and Hornbeam and Hopton Gardens.
| “It’s a nightmare, we’re having sleepless nights over it thinking we’re going to have to look out over people’s funerals every day." | | Liz Gage |
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Liz Gage, whose house backs on to the land, said: "It's a nightmare, we're having sleepless nights over it thinking we're going to have to look out over people's funerals every day.
"We quite often have parties in the garden and how can you do that when people are being buried behind your home?"
More than 100 people have signed a petition on Kingston Council's website appealing for it to be returned to recreational use.
Mrs Gage said: "It was a real hub of the community where everybody met and it was used for things like rugby and cricket. My sister had her wedding reception there so we really don't want to see it gone."
Mrs Gage said house prices had already suffered from the proposals, with one selling for £30,000 below the asking price and another receiving a request for £70,000 to be taken off.
11:08am Wednesday 12th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Moira, Motspur Park on 11:25pm Sun 23 Mar 08
I think a cemetery would be peaceful and would welcome this in Motspur Park. Whilst recreational use would be nice, the residents would suffer far more noise and disruption from events than from funerals. The residents complained when the sports club was there when they had evening events (too noisy) what could be more peaceful than a cemetery only open during daylight hours!!!
I think a cemetery would be peaceful and would welcome this in Motspur Park. Whilst recreational use would be nice, the residents would suffer far more noise and disruption from events than from funerals. The residents complained when the sports club was there when they had evening events (too noisy) what could be more peaceful than a cemetery only open during daylight hours!!!
Posted by: Liz, Motspur Park on 2:58pm Mon 24 Mar 08
Moira obviously doesn't back onto the former BBC ground or drive a car otherwise she may not be so in favour of this development! I have three children - how will I explain what is happening out of there bedroom window every day - that they are sleeping less than 100 metres from dead people - if we had chosen the house after the cemetery fine but that is not the case! I drive down motspur park road at least four times a day for school runs the traffic is going to be double what it is now or even worse with at least 5-6 funerals a day. Green open land should be kept that way for sports and recreational use and noise from these activities is a pleasant noise not a nuisance.
Moira obviously doesn't back onto the former BBC ground or drive a car otherwise she may not be so in favour of this development! I have three children - how will I explain what is happening out of there bedroom window every day - that they are sleeping less than 100 metres from dead people - if we had chosen the house after the cemetery fine but that is not the case! I drive down motspur park road at least four times a day for school runs the traffic is going to be double what it is now or even worse with at least 5-6 funerals a day. Green open land should be kept that way for sports and recreational use and noise from these activities is a pleasant noise not a nuisance.
Posted by: Anna, Motspur Park on 3:20pm Wed 26 Mar 08
How sad and depressing can get to prefer a cemetery to sports fields Moira!?!
I back on the playing fields and I am asking you would you really prefer to have a view of graves, crosses and gravestones to people doing sports? A cemetery would be good because is quiet? That’s a very morbid idea of quietness! A cemetery at the old BBC Sports ground is unacceptable and a disaster for the local community and it would only fit in the owners business plans. [bold]Let’s bring some life in Motspur Park instead, let’s bring the BBC Sports ground back to life![/bold]
How sad and depressing can get to prefer a cemetery to sports fields Moira!?!
I back on the playing fields and I am asking you would you really prefer to have a view of graves, crosses and gravestones to people doing sports? A cemetery would be good because is quiet? That’s a very morbid idea of quietness! A cemetery at the old BBC Sports ground is unacceptable and a disaster for the local community and it would only fit in the owners business plans.
Let’s bring some life in Motspur Park instead, let’s bring the BBC Sports ground back to life!
Posted by: Deepak Swaroop, Motspur Park on 12:42pm Tue 1 Apr 08
Liz and Anna are spot on. I think Moira would do well to move house to closer to another cemetery. At least that is by choice and will also help understand the dip in property value. A £50k drop in value of a 100 houses is £5m drop in the collective wealth of Kingston residents who pay council tax at one of the highest rates in the country. To entertain an application from an investor and not considering our own tax paying citizens' wealth destruction, is incorrect. The application should not have been accepted - no one deserves a gun to their head waiting for the borough officers to decide. This is just plain wrong. If I wanted to put up a tree that blocked my neighbour's sun, it would get objected to. I still struggle to understand how such an application was even accepted - the residents do not deserve such callous indifference to their time, energy and feelings[quote]quote[/quote] .
Liz and Anna are spot on. I think Moira would do well to move house to closer to another cemetery. At least that is by choice and will also help understand the dip in property value. A £50k drop in value of a 100 houses is £5m drop in the collective wealth of Kingston residents who pay council tax at one of the highest rates in the country. To entertain an application from an investor and not considering our own tax paying citizens' wealth destruction, is incorrect. The application should not have been accepted - no one deserves a gun to their head waiting for the borough officers to decide. This is just plain wrong. If I wanted to put up a tree that blocked my neighbour's sun, it would get objected to. I still struggle to understand how such an application was even accepted - the residents do not deserve such callous indifference to their time, energy and feelings
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