Councillors approve the return of Formula E Post Reply

[atbattersea]

Battersea Park is much bigger than Clapham Common, surely.

They are about the same size, take a look on a map, it should be clear enough.

Plus it's only a section of the park that was closed for 4 days.

Um, sure it was a "section", but that section comprised about 95% of the park. And it was not just four days, access to the park was limited for nearly three weeks. This is acknowledged in Wandsworth Council's own report on the event - it's no use arguing against this point when both sides affectively agree that this was the case.

I was able to walk and drive along (that was great fun) the Formula E track while it was being set up - they didn't close it down.

I'm not sure how you were able to drive along the track, given that most of Carriage Drive is closed to traffic even during normal opening of the park. My personal experience was that construction traffic was on the "track" for a period of about three weeks. During this period access to Carriage Drive was mostly blocked by fencing, apart from a few crossing points and areas where pedestrians were directed to pass through construction and storage areas.

There are plenty of photos of this disruption online. Perhaps you can post some images of you walking and driving around the park at this time?

See how it's done atbattersea? I can post without feeling I need to drag in quotes from previous posts - hopefully you can follow .

You need to brush-up on your netiquette.

[atbattersea]

Please don't be/come one of those annoying men that are on NVN!

You mean one that states the facts and finds verification for those, rather than someone who doesn't and cannot!?

[this_is_cat]

The anti-formula e brigade really scored an own goal with the tone of their campaign.
It was totally hysterical and frankly insulting to anyone with a modicum of intelligence.
Claims it was a health and safety disaster - in the face of not one single safety incident over the entire assembly/event/disassembly time! I've seen several ambulances called to the adventure playground on a single afternoon but no one is calling that a 'health and safety disaster zone' and calling for it to be banned, despite being demonstrably more dangerous!

It is also somewhat ironic that 'atbattersea' is positioning themself as a beacon of facts and figures while promoting a website and petition that claims things like 'wildlife were traumatised'
AtBattersea, please can you share the credentials of the vet who diagnosed the trauma, and also the details of the diagnosed animals?

Regarding my earlier comment about estate agents, I'm pretty sure it was in a link you posted to promote your protest event.
It stated that the coucil's claim that Formula E would benefit local businesses was incorrect, as a poll done on behalf of the anti lobby found a number of businesses reported business was worse over the event weekend. These included an antiques shop, a dress shop and an estate agent.
Like I said, clutching at straws when those are your biggest objections!

I actually clicked on the links you originally posted to learn more about the objections, coming from a neutral stance.
I'm afraid the site firmly polarised my support for it, because the objections were an act of fiction.
Claims the park was 'vandalised' do not tally with my daily experiences, and the more I read, the more absurd the claims became, which totally alienated me from the entire thing.

Your group badly misjudged this one, I'm afraid.

[atbattersea]

I mean one that just goes on and on like a dog with a bone, quoting and referencing until he's bored everyone witless with highly selective facts and figures. You remind me of at least one other person on this site .

I don't really know what you are talking about, but Wandsworth Council's own report acknowledges all of the problems I have noted. You can find the report here:

https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/doc ... mula-E.pdf

I don't believe I have been selective in what I have stated, I have just countered the Council's rahrah brigade.

[atbattersea]

The anti-formula e brigade really scored an own goal with the tone of their campaign.
It was totally hysterical and frankly insulting to anyone with a modicum of intelligence.
Claims it was a health and safety disaster…

Please read Wandsworth Council's own report into the event, this clearly acknowledges in several places that there were distinct health and safety issues during the construction phases for Formula-E. That's not some nimby campaign group's view, that's the whitewashed view from within the Council itself.

https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/doc ... mula-E.pdf

It is also somewhat ironic that 'atbattersea' is positioning themself as a beacon of facts and figures while promoting a website and petition that claims things like 'wildlife were traumatised'
AtBattersea, please can you share the credentials of the vet who diagnosed the trauma, and also the details of the diagnosed animals?

This information is contained within the Council's report, where it is made clear that the zoo had to be closed and animals moved. I expect that you can acknowledge that transportation in itself is somewhat traumatic for these animals. There are also comments about the native wildlife in the park within this report.

Regarding my earlier comment about estate agents, I'm pretty sure it was in a link you posted to promote your protest event.
It stated that the coucil's claim that Formula E would benefit local businesses was incorrect, as a poll done on behalf of the anti lobby found a number of businesses reported business was worse over the event weekend. These included an antiques shop, a dress shop and an estate agent.
Like I said, clutching at straws when those are your biggest objections!

Wandsworth Council has made numerous claims that local businesses would benefit from Formula-E. In the council's own report it seems to be conceded that they have no evidence to back this up apart from anecdotal accounts. And they do acknowledge that local businesses were excluded from benefitting from the event. As there was no data on this issue local businesses were asked about their views of Formula-E. You have been extremely selective in what you have chosen to quote - I don't see why a dress shop, antiques shop or estate agents shouldn't have legitimate concerns about the event. Either way, here are a few more enlightening sections of the same piece of text:

http://savebatterseapark.com/news/

Of over 40 food outlets, which included takeaways, restaurants, pubs, cafès and mini-marts, 31 saw no change and 7 said that business was worse or even terrible. Two pubs said they had had workers come in for a meal. One outlet saw extra trade but put it down to the good weather. The other 45 shops, which included a dress shop, an antiques shop, estate agents, internet cafè, and two mini-cab services, saw no change.

I think that is a more balanced view of the information as published.

[this_is_cat]

Some more fabulous cherry picking of the facts, AtBattersea!
All references to wildlife (on page 36 of the document which you posted a link to, for all those who don't want to have to read it) show that all the wildlife concerns raised by the complainants were groundless.
Which again begs the question as to why you are happy to keep picking holes in all other posters which continuing to peddle the nonsense on the 'save Battersea park' website.

And presumably if the Friends of the Park are so concerned about wildlife being 'traumatised', you will all be leading a campaign to ban the fireworks displays, ban fishing in the ponds and ensure the zoo improves its welfare standards?

[atbattersea]

Also claiming that weeks of "lead up" to the event were hugely disruptive.

This is acknowledged in the Council's own report, as are (some of) the cancelled or displaced sports events.

Anyway it's a done deal, so there is not really any point getting blue in the face.

Apparently it is not - because the Council is going to hold a full debate and vote on the issue.

As you like giving us homework links, have you read this one from me? http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environme ... 623068.ece

Sorry, I don't subscribe to the Times.

[atbattersea]

Some more fabulous cherry picking of the facts, AtBattersea!
All references to wildlife (on page 36 of the document which you posted a link to, for all those who don't want to have to read it) show that all the wildlife concerns raised by the complainants were groundless.

I think you'll find that I didn't express a view on the native wildlife one way or the other. I understand that there are concerns about bats in the park, and that there was a documented decline.

Which again begs the question as to why you are happy to keep picking holes in all other posters which continuing to peddle the nonsense on the 'save Battersea park' website.

I'm sorry, this sentence doesn't make any sense to me - are there a few words missed out or something!?

And presumably if the Friends of the Park are so concerned about wildlife being 'traumatised', you will all be leading a campaign to ban the fireworks displays, ban fishing in the ponds and ensure the zoo improves its welfare standards?

I have not heard complaints about these events/activities, nor have I seen a report from the Council on them.