Local residents are up in arms at changes being made to Springfield Gardens on Horn Lane, despite the Council's claim to be acting with public support.

Within the last fortnight, many residents have been stunned by the sudden felling of nearly 30 well established trees and the removal of all the internal fencing that encloses the dog walking area and ensures the safety of children playing in the park.

The Council is spending £165,000 on improvements to the park, which are intented to increase use and reduce anti-social behaviour as part of the Acton Liveability programme. They say they have delivered 400 consultation leaflets to local residents before Christmas and received over 100 replies. The consultation leaflet made no mention at all of the proposal to remove trees but did show that just over half supported the removal of the dog fences.

Elsewhere in the borough, Ealing have been creating dog areas within parks in order to protect children from the health risks associated with dog faeces. Yet, Peter White, Ealing's Head of Parks, said that in Springfield Gardens, "Dog owners are free to walk their dogs anywhere in the park except the children’s playground".

One concerned local resident told Actonw3.com, 'Not one of the 150 dog or non-dog owners that I have spoken to supports the removal of the dog fences. Just because there is legislation against dog fouling, it won't make any difference unless the park can be properly 'policed', but does the council really have the resources for that?' Another told us, 'Chopping down trees shouldn't be done without very good reason and the Council could have avoided causing such strong resentment by telling us these reasons before they started felling.'

It seems that Ealing Council's reliance on an old-fashioned leaflet drop to find out public feeling has failed; the leaflets could well have been lost in the wealth of junk mail that Acton residents receive or overlooked in the busy period up to Christmas.

It seems a shame that, unlike Hounslow Council, Ealing persistantly refuse to use local online media, such as Actonw3.com, to communicate and consult with their residents. Using a real-time, interactive method that is simple and quick could ensure that such significant investments in public space get the response and support they deserve from Acton's residents.

March 3rd, 2005