In recent weeks much space has been devoted to the activities of the illegal occupants of the site of the planned new Crystal Palace.

It is easy to glamorise these activities, as society becomes more vigilant about protecting the environment.

However, the plans for the 200-acre Crystal Palace Park include enhancing existing wildlife habitats, and planting many more trees, whereas the 12 acres currently occupied have been semi-derelict since the original building burned down.

These veteran protesters, who have chosen to make Crystal Palace the next stop on their 'countrywide tour', have enticed and encouraged members of the public, including the young and impressionable, on to a site they know is dangerous.

Despite our warnings, they have continued to tunnel in loosely-packed soil, which is not only extremely unstable but also contaminated.

Their intent is to delay work on the building of the new Crystal Palace, ignoring the legal and Government endorsements the project has received.

The result will be, at best, a heavy cost to the taxpayers of Bromley and delays in delivering the benefits of the £150million investment in the area providing training, jobs and support for businesses.

In the worst case someone, and not necessarily a professional protester, could be very seriously hurt.

Michael Blanch

chief executive

London Borough of Bromley

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