Stables project sees opening of car park (From News Shopper)

Stables project sees opening of car park

4:24pm Wednesday 1st March 2006

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A PUBLIC car park has opened for people visiting Foots Cray Meadows.

The car park, off the Rectory Lane entrance in Foots Cray, replaces one which is now part of the restoration project for the Foots Cray stables, once part of the Foots Cray Place estate.

It has 29 spaces plus two for disabled drivers and is more accessible than the previous one.

The car park also offers a water recycling system which filters out petrol and other pollutants from drained water.

Water is then returned to a nearby pond which is a habitat for the rare great crested newt.

The car park has been created from the former Bexley Council depot despite a campaign by residents, supported by All Saints Church in Rectory Lane, to have it moved along the lane next to the church to help resolve parking problems in the lane.

A new depot will be created next to the car park and include an environmentally-friendly facility to wash council vehicles.

Other planned improvements include the conversion of a disused toilet block into an environment and field studies centre.

There will be storage facilities for the council's rangers, new toilets with disabled access and a new rangers' office in the car park.

All the work is part of a project by specialist company Morgan Restoration to restore the Georgian Grade II Listed stables and chauffeur's cottage, together with walled gardens and a smoking room all on English Heritage's "at risk" register.

The stables and chauffeur's cottage will be converted into a home for the company's owner, Barry Morgan, and will use run-off water from the roof to flush toilets and irrigate the garden.

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