Swiss Cottage development has been an unhappy compromise

Published: 1:15 PM May 17, 2007 Updated: 9:54 AM February 20, 2021

AS one of those campaigning for retention of the soccer pitch at Swiss Cottage, I almost feel I should apologise to Elaine Chambers and her neighbours on Winchester Road (Council should blow whistle on soccer, H&H May 10). Almost. In our defence, I should

AS one of those campaigning for retention of the soccer pitch at Swiss Cottage, I almost feel I should apologise to Elaine Chambers and her neighbours on Winchester Road (Council should blow whistle on soccer, H&H May 10).

Almost. In our defence, I should point out that we were campaigning for a redevelopment that had community needs at its heart, not those of Barratt Homes plc, and that our preferred location for the sports pitch was at the south of the site, close to Adelaide Road and as far away as possible from local housing.

We also wanted something better than a single tennis court, but Barratt obviously didn't feel a community sports pitch would help it sell its million-pound dwellings, and Camden's leisure department and the Labour clique then running things didn't dare say boo to them.

We have ended up with a messy compromise: every single community facility was downgraded, largely because Camden and the Labour clique failed us all.