Hampstead celebrity residents fight plan for road across heath

The City of London Corporation wants to create the tarmac track from Gordon House Road, past the Hampstead Lido pool and across the cricket pitch at Parliament Hill, for park rangers and other vehicles.

But the scheme, which will be partly funded by a £47,500 National Lottery grant and has yet to obtain planning approval, has provoked outrage among locals, who claim the stretch would cut across a number of paths.

Former Python Palin said the scheme would destroy the green space. "The heath was created for people rather than vehicles. Any proposal to increase vehicle access on the heath compromises that original purpose," he said.

Loach, director of 2006 Palme d'Or-winning The Wind That Shakes The Barley, added: "The use of such a road would gradually impede pedestrians. We need to be vigilant to protect this extraordinary public asset."

In 2003 a delivery driver using one of the other vehicle pathways knocked down and killed an elderly man. Mother-of-two Elena Greene said she was concerned that introducing another road would increase the risk of more accidents.

"I would be concerned about vehicles using this road because it will pass right by the children's playground. It only takes a second for a child to run out into the path of a vehicle," she said.

Mavis Haut, who is helping to organise the campaign group, said they have already gathered "thousands of signatures" on a petition against the plans. She added that they hoped to appeal against the decision to press ahead with the road's construction later this year.

"There has been a shocking lack of consultation with residents and we are being trampled all over by the Corporation, which is steadfastly ignoring our pleas," she said.

Simon Lee, Hampstead Heath superintendent, said the plans were first outlined three years ago and the authorities had met residents to explain the necessity of a new service route intended to reduce the risk of collisions. Mr Lee said: "This is not a completely new road. Around 50 per cent of it is already there. The aim is to reduce the number of vehicle movements and minimise the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.

"With a dedicated route, we will be able to reduce the number of vehicles travelling from 40 to 20 per day.

"The journeys will not be at peak hours and access will only be to park vehicles travelling at 5mph."

The Corporation has spent 18 months drawing up the plans for the project which include a new café and upgrading the lido and the running track pavilion. There are also plans to open up the cricket pitch behind William Ellis School's playground and landscape a path running from Highgate Road towards the bandstand.

There are no laws restricting development. The Hampstead Heath Act (1871) reserved the right to lay down new roads, and as far back as 1829 there have been disputed attempts by various parties to build roads and homes there.