WHEN I was a child, one of the great things about growing up in south London was the number and variety of parks and open spaces in which to play.

Another, was the frequent reminders of our varied history which are visible in so many places.

For those reasons, among others, whenever I returned to visit relatives or friends I always take my children to see famous landmarks.

I was, therefore, extremely dismayed to learn of the proposals for Crystal Palace Park.

This site is unique in London's heritage and the crass commercial development intended is completely out of keeping.

The volume of traffic generated by the scheme must surely make it unfeasible; imagine the strain on Sydenham, Anerley, Gypsy Hill, Norwood and Dulwich.

People may argue new entertainment complexes are necessary, yet many old cinemas such as Forest Hill stand empty.

Surely, if these could be refurbished, they would provide genuinely local ve-nues. But, most of all, do we really need any more fast-food outlets?

In my opinion, Bromley Council is selling our parks to the highest bidder and with it a large slice of London's history. No doubt a lack of publicity would go a long way towards helping them get away with it.

Mrs Susan Jones

Catford

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.