29 September (Part 1) - The Sidcup battleground
There are few things worse than reporting on Bexley is Bonkers about a
subject not fully understood; it leads to superficiality, and with
the proposed sale of Sidcup’s Old Farm Park looming large on the agenda for the next
couple of months, it was essential that I took a look. I had passed by once or
twice but never trodden its ground.
I’m not sure what I expected but whatever it was, Old Farm Park was not it.
Within 15 minutes walk of home I can be in Frank’s Park or Lesnes woods in
Belvedere or Bostall woods just across the Greenwich boundary. All heavily
wooded but Old Farm Park is, except for its periphery, a big open space sandwiched
between Old Farm Avenue and the railway line. A footbridge over that line will take
you to a similar plot made up of football pitches.
The signs at the park entrance and inside are rather ironic in the circumstances.
“Don’t abuse it” and “over time natural selection will allow the maturing trees to spread”.
All of the photographs seen here were taken today between 09:45 and 10:00 so no
children are to be seen and no dog walkers either. The place was deserted
except for the grass mowing contractor. The grass appeared to be in very good
condition, lush and green with no bald patches that I came across.
It is not hard to work out why Old Farm Park is top of the list for the vandals, family
silver robbers and financial mismanagers at Bexley council. A large flat empty space with easy
and wide access to an existing road. A road that it has to be said was quite severely congested
with parked cars even at that early hour. I turned around a total of three times before I managed to
find a space large enough for my tiny car.
