Once Dalby Street road is gone, there's no turning back

KATE Orr is right. The Talacre Sports Centre is one of Camden s greatest assets (Talacre is sporting provision at its best, H&H June 6). Not that you would know this from the cavalier attitude our officers and council have demonstrated throughout the Dalb

KATE Orr is right. The Talacre Sports Centre is one of Camden's greatest assets (Talacre is sporting provision at its best, H&H June 6). Not that you would know this from the cavalier attitude our officers and council have demonstrated throughout the Dalby Street planning stages.

The only road access to this important venue is under serious and permanent threat. The developer intends to build a 7-storey high building scheme on Dalby Street itself which will tower over the 2-storey sports centre and effectively eliminate its front yard.

A narrow lane alongside this monstrous building will replace Dalby Street as road access to the sports centre. Traffic marshals will be brought in to manage what is likely to be an expensive and disastrous solution.

No-one locally believes it will work. Once the road is gone, however, there won't be any turning back. The sports centre and Talacre Gardens next to it will be in jeopardy. This disgraceful proposal by the developer has been aided and abetted by our own planning officers and traffic engineers.

Camden Council's decision on the road closure is set to take place on June 19. Let us hope common sense will prevail. If not, then London's new Mayor Boris Johnson will be our only hope as it will be up to him to turn down the stopping up of Dalby Street.

That would be a happy day locally. No battle has been fought so hard by so many residents and for so long.

TREVOR PONTING

Wilkin Street, NW5