Forum Topic

Gunnersbury Cafe

I very much support Spencer's Cafe in Walpole Park in their fight to stay open.  But the situation in Gunnersbury Park is also very unsatisfactory.  Monica and her family have run the cafe for many years, latterly from a kiosk while the New cafe building is being built.  Apparently a company called Benugo has won the contract to operate this.  I know them from Hyde Park where a latte is £2.80!  This on top of the inevitable parking charges coming in will make this beautiful park off limits for many.

Sarah Michie ● 2689d12 Comments

Arthur,Whenever you question anything to do with money the council establishment (the employed council officers) will brand you a troublemaker, I know from past experience. It amazes me that all the bid information remains sealed even AFTER the contract has been awarded, it should, IMO be open to scrutiny to see what we are actually getting for our money.

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2672d

Does anybody know if dogs will be allowed inside the new cafe?

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 2672d

I don't think the Friends Group have a huge problem with the plans per se but they have raised questions about how they are to be financed.The way Government and lottery funding works is that any bidder has to show that they can generate their own revenue stream which means that the new building will be let out more regularly for events. It also makes a paid for car park more likely because the park will get a multiple of any revenue it generates in terms of grant funding. This means that even if the point is accepted that this is mainly a park that is used by regular visitors from the local area rather than occasional ones from a wider radius, the logic of charging for parking becomes overwhelming.

Andy Jones ● 2674d

So are the Friends of Gunnersbury Park on board with the current proposals?

Paul Cavanagh ● 2676d

You right you should be proud. I never thought I would see the day when a visit to the park would cost.

Nicholas Beard ● 2676d

Yes it is a problem of democracy. When Walpole Park was up for a makeover a sum of £5.4 was announced. A friends' group was recruited, I naively assumed to help with the design. I left when the bid went in..... in secret..  That is when the friends were made enemies and weren't allowed to see any of the bid content. I complained about this and am labelled a troublemaker. Wow am I proud of that label? For troublemaker read democrat.

Arthur Breens ● 2676d

Seems unlikely given the amount of money currently being spent on the park.

Paul Cavanagh ● 2677d

It doesn't take a philosophy graduate to suss out what the overall plan is here ..reduce park usage as much as possible, produce figures in a couple of years to that 'prove'that and then open parts of the park up to developers.After advertising the flats in Hong Kong, China and Russia of course.

Keith Iddon ● 2679d

As soon as you put a limit on parking it has to be monitored and the only way to cover the cost of monitoring is for charges to be made. If you charge for parking in Gunnersbury people will park on local streets at the weekend and usage of the park would collapse in winter because most people who use it then are people who are walking their dogs and have alternatives where they wouldn't have to pay.

Paul Cavanagh ● 2679d

Are parking charges definite or just your conjecture?One problem with Gunnersbury is that there has been some commuter parking in recent years. The solution is to put a limit on parking time of 2-3 hours.

Susan Kelly ● 2687d

Very true Alan,I feel that this council are not interested in democracy. I even spoke to a Labour councillor who felt totally isolated by the ruling elite. Yes the bunny park was sad as the family there were lovely and friendly and i used to go often when my girlfriend died. always felt welcome.

Peter Chadburn ● 2688d

Hello Sarah, I am very sorry to hear this but it seems that this is the corrupt lunancy of Ealing Council and PMGT. I suspect there are things that have gone on behind the scenes that they are keeping quiet, it all sounds very dodgy. The same thing happened at the bunny park, that family run cafe was given to the San remo company, faceless.Ealing Council are the landlords here, they have given Walpole Park and Pitzhanger house to PMGT on a 25 year lease. They fail to consult the community about their decision making yet obscenly claim they are acting on behalf of the community. The trustees have not been elected by the community and are an elite group out of touch with the people they are meant to serve. Some of my customers have suggested starting a petition removing the trustees and certain members of Ealing Council with four weeks notice and no severance pay! How would they feel if this was done to them. Sadly they are as out of touch as a feudal landlord hundreds of years ago. What is most arrogant is that they claim to act on behalf of the  community,  yet haven’t consulted the community at any level. We have to keep fighting this.

Alan Dillon ● 2689d