Young people and street drinkers seemed to be getting on fine at yesterday evening’s impromptu pop concert. But then, alcohol does break down barriers. And from all the tins and bottles strewn everywhere, vast quantities had been consumed.
Blaring out from giant loudspeakers, the music could be heard all over the Moor. Power for the loudspeakers was provided by a petrol driven generator.
Two students came up to us and asked why we were taking photographs. When we told them, they said that they felt ashamed to be students. They added that if the people responsible were given hefty fines, it would soon put a stop to the problem.
Just months after he was awarded an MBE, Woodhouse Moor’s gardener, John Egan has had further cause to celebrate. Forty years ago last week, on the 24th May 1969, he and his wife Susan were married. Earlier this evening, I was talking to John. He told me how he came to Leeds in 1961 from Castlerea in County Rosscommon. When he first arrived here, he lived in the gatehouse of the Faversham Hotel on Mount Preston. In early 1963, he moved from there to Roundhay. Then he spent some time in Harehills before moving on to Meanwood, which is where he was living when he met Susan. They moved to their present home, the gardener’s lodge, in 1974. John and Susan have two daughters and four grandchildren.
On Thursday the 21st May, there was a letter from H Johnson pointing out that the council’s refusal to enforce the barbeque ban is undermining the hard work of the Moor’s gardener, John Egan MBE. Then on the 23rd May, Barbara Tyldesley from Cookridge wrote that allowing barbeques on the Moor doesn’t help the council’s environmental credentials. On the 25th May, there were letters from Ian Falkingham of Woodhouse, and Chris Webb of Headingley Hill. Ian feels that our only importance to the council, is as a source of council tax. Chris asks how long the council is going to allow this situation to carry on, and if it would be allowed on green space owned by the universities. Tony Green from North Hyde Park had a letter in on the 27th May asking if the council can’t properly manage the Moor, are they fit to be managing the rest of the city. On the 28th May, Ann Massa from North Hyde Park said that our councillors are letting us down, just as our MPs have let us down. And then today, Friday the 29th May, Richard Hellawell from Little Woodhouse accused the Lib Dem councillors of riding roughshod over voters.
I came back from The Moor last night; it’s surreal!
There I found two park wardens on motor bikes in LCC livery (see attached image) by the most popular BBQ patch accepting complaints from an Ice Cream van that other vans were trespassing on his patch! When I asked them whether he was illegal in driving round the park in his van they said no- he pays LCC a rent to do so! Can you believe it! When I pointed out that some students were BBQ’ing in front of them in direct violation of the byelaws they said they had instructions not to do anything; there were hundreds of byelaws and it was nothing to do with them! They had a TV unit on one bike and they said they took pictures of all that was happening and their manager would decide whether to take any action; the assumption is that he would not. When I pointed out the litter one group were leaving they said staff would clear this up in the morning; they would not intervene. Think what all this costs; two bikes two riders at 8.30pm one TV unit, staff to clear the mess and still no-one puts a stop or does anything to intervene or even say what the byelaws are!
Have I gone mad! Even the riders admitted their presence was completely futile.
At the INWAC meeting on the 2nd July 2008, in connection with our request that councillors enforce the byelaw banning barbeques, Councillor Jamie Matthews said “If some people had their way, they’d stop everyone having fun”. Well these pictures show what the Moor looked like after just one afternoon and evening of people having fun. Councillor Matthews’ and his colleagues’ refusal to enforce the byelaws means that the surface of the Moor is being permanently degraded. Broken glass is being ground into the earth making the grass unsafe for everyone, but especially so for children. These councillors have much in common with the people who are causing the damage. They’re not from here, they don’t live here, and they don’t care about here. They should be made to pay for the damage they’re causing to the Moor out of their own pockets. And the bills for the “consultation” and fire brigade call outs should be sent to them too.
The above photos showing barbeques and public urination were taken at 4pm this afternoon. Even though it’s against the law to have barbeques and to urinate in public, the police officers present did nothing about it. Just after I took these photos, I counted six men simultaneously urinating beside the hedge that borders the allotments. The fact they can’t be bothered walking to the nearby toilets shows their lack of respect for the park and the sensibilities of local people, a trait they share with our councillors and the police. The photo of the fire engine was taken at 10pm. It had been called out to extinguish one of the many fires that are caused by barbeques. There were about six firemen, and one of them was heard to say that they’d probably be out to the Moor again tonight. The average cost of calling out a fire engine is £2,200.
I would like to stress that I am writing this guest post in an individual capacity and my views in no way necessarily represent those of any organisation I am a member of; they are purely individual views.
The debate over the council’s proposals to build a designated barbecue area on Woodhouse Moor has been contentious to say the least. On the one side local residents have raised concerns about the damage the construction of this area will do to the Moor and on the other side you have the council and people like myself who have argued that the proposals are the best practicable way to manage barbecues on the Moor and, of course, the people who want to use the Moor to have barbecues on. It is worth saying that the debate has exposed a tension at the heart of our community between permanent residents who feel ignored and temporary residents, ie, students who live here in a fair concentration. It is my view that establishing harmony between the two groups is one of the key challenges facing this community.
Turning to the proposals in detail; it has often been pointed out to me that there are by-laws in place which prohibit barbecues on the Moor and that preventing them is simply a matter of enforcing the existing by-laws. Councillor Martin Hamilton, speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post on May 20th, raises a valid point when he questions whether creating a situation where the police will have to be involved is the most productive use of their time. One of the concerns has to be that so much time and effort would be spent enforcing the barbecue ban that serious anti-social behaviour would slip under the radar.
Also, since there has been a serious increase in demand for barbecues on the Moor there has to be questions asked over where the people who would have had barbecues on the Moor would then go. Shifting the problem around the place is not a solution and we do have to address the fact that some people clearly do want this; so, a question I do have to put to opponents is how would you address this? Concerns about the environmental impact of disposable barbecues are points well made but it is my view that a properly designated area could and should go hand-in-hand with providing raw materials and guidance for people to actually construct a rudimentary (but still effective) eco-friendly barbecue which can be effectively done with a few bricks; a grill you can find in any kitchen and the right charcoal. Here perhaps the proposals need to show greater imagination than just whacking concrete slabs down.
The same article points out that Woodhouse Moor has been used for “everything from hare-coursing and horse racing to a stage for political rallies and public demonstrations”. So, this isn’t exactly a new controversy but a re-casting of the tensions that exist over Woodhouse Moor itself and doubtless other green spaces across the country. Bill McKinnon speaking in the piece flags up the recent residents meeting which was attended by “over 100 residents, people who consider the Moor part of their home”. However, the Moor is not, properly speaking part of anybodies home; it is a public space which we all share, it is too their credit that people feel this strongly about something that is an important part of this community but nonetheless the facts remain as above.
Mr McKinnion is right when he says that if a designated area was created there would still be a question of enforcement but quite simply I would say restriction is always easier to enforce than prohibition. He is also right to raise the issue of ensuring the underground drainage is not damaged and let my emphasise that I am not here to defend the consultation not reaching everybody or any other problems that have been had. Looping-the-loop somewhat to the point I started off by making this does point to the need for new mechanisms to establish working relations between the residents who live around the Moor and the people who visit the Moor and want to enjoy it in a responsible way.
At the moment where the different interested groups come together tends to be the Area Committee; however, it is my view that this organisation has too broad a remit to deal effectively with this very specific issue which needs to see the local residents; people who work to preserve the Moor, and yes, representatives of the student community working together along with our local elected representatives. Therefore, I think the Area Committee should devolve this issue down to a sub-committee which reports to it and addresses issues like this directly.
