THE Crystal Palace Task Group would like to set the record straight regarding the Crystal Palace dialogue.

Claims the process has been conducted "behind closed doors" are misleading in the extreme.

Only a handful of issues were treated confidentially for common sense reasons and only for a limited time.

There is no longer anything confidential whatsoever and all options are being put to the public in the current round of consultation.

Similarly, the suggestion dialogue members were not allowed to speak on behalf of their own organisations is a distortion.

As an alternative to competitive lobbying, some of us agreed to work together to create a set of options which aimed to reflect the full range of views about the park not just those of our own groups.

This was a sensible working agreement which has served the process well.

No-one has ever been asked to leave the process because they held a particular view about the park or for any other reason.

However, we have certainly had to consider how to deal with repeated incidents of unacceptable behaviour from a minority.

Finally and most importantly decisions have not yet been made.

Those who care about the park should judge the options for themselves and let the LDA know their views.

This will help to find a way forward and bring an end to the years of stalemate which have blighted our park.

Sharon Baldwin Town Centre Manager On behalf of the Crystal Palace Task Group