Buried deep in their uninspiring election manifesto, Croydon Tories have let slip that they want to hand over at least one of the borough’s public open spaces to a private company. SANDRA STEAD reports
In the swing: Tory Jason Perry wants to pay to play at being Tarzan in Croydon’s public parks
Jason Perry, the Croydon Mayor who tried to sell off a chunk of the Shirley Hills to a posh private golf club during his first term in office will, if re-elected tomorrow, hand over at least one of the borough’s parks to a private company.
Perry’s election manifesto was kept under wraps until just 10 days ago – probably because, after four years in power, the £86,000 per year Mayor has so little to show for his time in office.
Because as well as costing the council £10million over his unlawful LTN schemes and his failure to reopen the Purley Pool, Perry’s poor management of the council’s waste contracts and neglect of our public open spaces has been keenly felt by residents.
During his election campaign, Perry has taken to boasting of how four of Croydon’s parks now have Green Flag status, indicating that they are well-maintained and properly cared for.
But Croydon has 127 parks and open spaces – which suggests that more than 120 of our precious parks have not been properly looked after while Perry has been Mayor. Until covid, Croydon had 10 parks that had Green Flag status.
In the manifesto’s parks pages, there’s a small section headlined “Create a destination park” (never mind that all Croydon’ parks are “destinations” in their own way…).
Perry’s manifesto says: “Work with partners like GoApe to introduce new attractions in our parks… Create places that draw visitors from across London while staying accessible to local residents…”, you can imagine the pound signs whirring around small businessman Perry’s eyeballs, and “Boost footfall, support local businesses and make better use of our green spaces.”
GoApe is a company that operates outdoor adventure parks, primarily offering tree-top rope courses, zip lines and what they call “forest experiences” at 37 venues around the country.
Their activities cater to “various ages and bravery levels”, featuring tree-to-tree crossings, Tarzan swings, forest Segway rides, axe throwing, and net adventures. There are GoApe venues at Battersea Park, Alexandra Palace, Leeds Castle and in Crawley.
‘Create a destination park’: Perry’s manifesto which identifies GoApe as potential commercial partners to privatise public parkland
But these attractions don’t come cheap: one session of the “treetop challenge” in Battersea Park this weekend for one adult and one teen will cost £44.
Several of Croydon’s parks already have adventure playground-style attractions – all free-of-charge. Crystal Palace Park, which comes under Bromley, has just spent millions of pounds installing new children’s playground equipment – which all remain free for all to enjoy.
Perry’s secret plan does not yet reveal which park he might hand over to GoApe for their adventure theme park: might it be jewel in the crown Lloyd Park?
Or has he got his eyes on some part of Coulsdon, perhaps, where plans for a “glamping” site were once aired, and quickly dropped? If GoApe need lots of trees for their attractions, might Wettern Tree Garden in Purley be just the ticket?
There have been suggestions before of bringing GoApe into a park in Croydon, though nothing came of it then.
Treetop adventure: might this lunder-appreciated gem of a green space be where Perry tries to go ape?
When the company was handed the adventure playground space in Battersea Park 10 years ago, protests by residents were ignored by their council, the then Tory-controlled Wandsworth. The council spent £250,000 to equip the previously public space where GoApe have been trading since.
Perry has a very poor record of delivering on his promises. It took the Perry-run council four years just to find a tenant operator for the café in Wandle Park, with the local authority racking up significant costs in the meantime on repairs and security. The rangers’ lodge in South Norwood Country Park, however, remains closed. Heathfield House at the top of Gravel Hill has been neglected to the point of becoming derelict, the once-prized gardens left overgrown.
As might be expected, Peter Underwood, the Green Party’s candidate for Croydon Mayor, was unimpressed with Perry’s manifesto, and opposed any proposal to privatise any of the borough’s parks.
“While people are struggling to get by, Perry is obsessed with speed limits, graffiti and what Labour did four years ago,” Underwood said.
“I wouldn’t be keen on taking our green spaces away from all children to only allow access to those who can afford to pay to play.”
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