Just fancy that!

Waltham Forest council was awarded a development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund in May 2008 to draw up proposals for the restoration and renewal of Lloyd and Aveling Park. The proposals will be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund in July 2009 and we hope to be awarded a grant of £3.6 million for the restoration. We’ll hear before the end of 2009, if our bid has been successful.

One of the proposed improvements to the park (not mentioned online but in the current issue of wfm) is

Parking within the park (for stakeholders such as the bowls clubs).

‘Stakeholders’ is just NuLab-speak for ‘users’. The bowling club is mentioned in order to conjure up the image of frail, elderly folk who absolutely must use a car. To deflect sarcasm from environmentalists, geddit? But the bowling club seems to have managed for years without a car park. And of course football teams are also ‘stakeholders’.

So, a new car park with marked out parking spaces.

Can you guess what’s not marked on the detailed masterplan.

Correct! Cycle parking.

Will there be any?

Er, yes.

How many stands?

Er, don’t know. That’s not yet been decided.

Which in planning is what’s called “an afterthought.”