27 July (Part 2) - This should have been a wholly positive report but…
Belvedere’s new playground opened today and from the moment
the plans for a Belvedere Beach were first unveiled at
a Council meeting last November everybody
saw them as brilliant and imaginative. Within minutes of that announcement
Labour Councillor Joe Ferreira welcomed it and praised the design team. Nothing
negative about The Beach has appeared on Bonkers either, why should it? Given that the
former Splash Park had become unviable on environmental and cost grounds The
Belvedere Beach looked to be a worthy successor.
Building it in a tenth of the time that Bexley Council has taken not to finish
work at Lesnes Abbey is another great achievement.
The only slightly negative comment I have heard comes from a friend who lives
not 100 metres from The Beach. He says the genteel folk from Bexley and Blackfen
(i.e. Councillor Craske) have insufficient idea of
the level of mindless
vandalism too often seen in the far flung north.
The universal praise heaped on Councillor Craske’s scheme has upset some of the idiotic fringe
on the Conservative benches, they have nothing to justifiably moan about. Not that that has stopped them.
At the last Cabinet meeting Councillor Philip Read
spent several minutes relating a cock and bull story about Labour Councillors
“resolutely opposing the concept”. Philip Read is always intent on spreading
falsehoods. Without his, along with one or two colleagues, contribution to
political debate in Bexley this month’s blogs would have been almost entirely
positive about Bexley Council. Why is he too stupid to recognise that?
I was looking forward to getting some pictures of the new Mayor cutting the
ribbon or whatever. The last time I attended a ribbon cutting ceremony
Mayor Pallen ducked out at the sight of my camera
and literally scarpered, too scared to attend the hospitality event because I was there. I was confident that Mayor
Reader was made of sterner stuff and I had no wish to do anything other than record
one of Bexley Council’s biggest days, one of which they have every right to be proud.
However after a good 25 minutes walk from
Abbey Wood station, up the steep incline of Heron Hill, I met a jobsworth.
But for her the foregoing paragraphs would not have been written.
I would not be allowed in with a (big?) camera because there were children present didn’t I know. I’ve had a camera draped around my neck most days
for the past 60 years but perhaps I had no idea that taking pictures of
identifiable children is not usually a good idea.
I asked if an old man who had trudged a mile and a bit up a steep hill might sit
quietly on a seat in the corner; the answer was no. When I thanked her for
providing ‘an angle’ for today’s blog the jobsworth rapidly spun around - but
not quickly enough.
Not being allowed in was not all bad news, another parcel was due, I had yet another appointment in East
Ham and there were going to be pictures plastered everywhere of today’s grand opening. Who needs mine?
The Belvedere Beach looks like being a big hit.
Bearing in mind I would not have been going for close-ups the over the fence
pictures are probably just as good as would have been obtained by going inside -
and you are spared pictures of Councillors Craske and Read.
