The Green Fair will be held in Canbury Gardens on Bank Holiday Monday 26^th May, from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Cara has had several meetings with the organisers, who are keen to ensure that the fair is a success with minimum disruption to residents. You may find the following information helpful:

The organisers are legally entitled to charge admission to the fair (£5 per adult, £2 per child or £10 per family). There is, however, free access to Boaters pub from the north (Richmond) end of the Gardens, and also from there all along the towpath. You don’t have to pay admission if you just want to use the public tennis courts or children’s playground – just explain to the stewards at the entrance by the playground, who will be briefed accordingly.

The publicity leaflets urge visitors not to come by car, and say there is no parking along Lower Ham Road or in local side streets, to try to keep congestion to a minumum.

In the past, residents have been concerned when grass has been churned up and flattened. We have been assured that the grass regenerates again naturally within a couple of weeks and if it doesn’t, the organisers will make good.

Similarly, the organisers have permission to take up bollards if necessary to allow access, but will put back after the fair.

Dogs will not be admitted to the fair.

The fair is powered only by sun, wind or bicycles, which does not allow for very great amplification of music .

At the end of the fair, the organisers must ensure that all litter etc is cleared up and the site is clear.

From 24 – 28 May there is a special residents’ noise and complaints line just in case there are any problems: tel 0771 8196764.

The CARA committee wishes everyone a happy Bank Holiday weekend.

At time of writing, planning permission had not yet been granted for the former bowls pavilion in Canbury Gardens, but the application is scheduled to be heard on May 15^th. If planning permission is granted, the pavilion will open on May 24^th. Planning permission is needed to allow the pavilion to be used as a community hall. CARA has written to support the application and, after discussion at a public committee meeting, donated £600 which has been used to fit out the toilets and for paving outside the pavilion.

The building has been painted inside and out and looks very different from the derelict, graffiti covered building of a year ago. It’s a wonderful example of members of the community working together to save a part of Canbury Gardens that would otherwise have been demolished – instead it can now be used by the community, schools, park rangers and general public.

The group of volunteer residents who have achieved this have now formed the Canbury Community Trust and have just been granted charitable status.

If anyone is interested in using the pavilion, or hiring it for example for an exhibition or use by a club, please contact Trevor Willis at 7 Eastbury Road, email trevorwillis@london.com

CARA has often written in support of our local police officers, and asked for help in dealing with increasing problems in Canbury Gardens. Kingston has the lowest number of police officers of all London boroughs, but is one of four boroughs that have just been refused an increase in police officers. This means we will also have the smallest number of police community support officers of all the London boroughs. However, Kingston tax payers will pay an extra £3million to the GLA this year – extra money which is supposedly for police, as well as the fire brigade and Transport for London.

If you are unhappy about this, please write to Toby Harris, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, 10 Dean Farror St, London SW1H 0NY – or to Ken Livingstone at City Hall, Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA. Both gentlemen are up for re-election next year.

The council has approved the removal of an oak tree on Lower Ham Road next to Canbury Gardens as it is infected with a wood decay fungus and would be a danger to the public. Funding has been made available for three replacement trees, one of which will if feasible be semi-mature.

To: Huw Rees Membership Secretary CARA, 12 Woodside Road

I enclose my membership subscription of £5 per household to CARA for 2002-2003

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