Tories offer no fix for Gunnersbury - Dakers

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Oct 2009

Lib Dem campaigners Joe Bourke, Mona Naqvi and Cllr Andrew Dakers outside Gunnersbury Park Museum

Cllr Dakers tonight moved a motion at Isleworth and Brentford Area Committee welcoming progress to date and calling for urgent action to address continued problems at Gunnersbury Park. He highlighted that real urgency is now needed to find other sources of funding for the restoration to proceed before we lose the stables or there is more damage to the local history collection.

Cllr Dakers, Leader of Hounslow Liberal Democrats, commented:

"Whilst the Conservative's u-turn on Gunnersbury Park is welcomed, the botched consultation reflects a lack of understanding of local peoples' concerns and aspirations.

"As our motion highlights the real urgency is now finding other sources of funding for the restoration to proceed before we lose the stables or there is more damage to the local history collection. We do not want the Conservatives to u-turn, yet again, or drag their feet on Gunnersbury claiming they can't find the money elsewhere."

NOTES TO EDITORS

Motion on restoration of Gunnersbury Park, the local history museum and mansions

Proposer: Cllr Andrew Dakers

Seconder: Cllr Jon Hardy

Isleworth and Brentford Area Committee welcomes the recent work of the both Councils and the Development Manager to progress the urgent restoration of Gunnersbury Park, the local history museum and mansions. We support local residents' calls for a more extensive search for alternative sources of funding (e.g. alternative land sale for capital receipts, prudential borrowing or new revenue streams within park) for the building restoration and new museum/ collection store at Gunnersbury Park as an alternative to building on parts of the park.

We call on Ealing and Hounslow councils to fully explore these alternative funding sources before a final decision is made. This must be undertaken with urgency so as not to delay progress in developing a business plan and submitting funding applications to national bodies which has, thus far, been too slow.

ENDS