LETTER: Cllr Dakers - Boston Manor House restoration should involve the local community

12.00.00am GMT Mon 23rd Feb 2009

Cllr Dakers, Leader of Hounslow Liberal Democrats, believes there should be more community involvement in the restoration of Boston Manor House

Dear Editor, as local ward councillor I share Linda Massey's and the Friends of Boston Manor Park's concerns around the lack of community involvement in developing plans for restoring Boston Manor House. These proposals should not have come out in a report to the Council's Executive without a prior discussion around the ideas with local residents and the Friends of Boston Manor Park.

The proposed car park as I understand it would be on the hard standing under the A4 flyover. If well designed and implemented in the present economic climate it sounds like a realistic and reasonable way forward to bring the much needed capital funding to Boston Manor House, but I remain open to alternative proposals.

I have now urged the Council to take the following steps:

1) The 2007/8 report looking at the condition of the House must be shared with local Councillors and the community. This will make clear the level of investment that needs to be secured. I have put in a formal Freedom of Information request for the report;

2) An open project steering group involving all interested parties should be established immediately so that any other proposals that would bring in the necessary investment can be examined and the best way forward determined with the full involvement of the local community;

3) The Friends of Boston Manor Park must be invited to speak and join the discussions on the report at the local area monitoring committee on 5th March. The drawings commissioned last year that explain the location of the proposed car park should be made available to aid discussion on 5th March. I have also put in a formal Freedom of Information for these drawings.

Boston Manor House is a building of national significance that is at real risk. We will have to work together to work through the potential compromises that may be required to secure the funding that will ensure this treasure does not to go the same way as the stables in Gunnersbury Park.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Andrew Dakers

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Brentford & Isleworth