1,700 Want to Save Priory Community Centre

Lib Dems hand in record petition and campaign is launched

Residents of Acton have taken up arms against the Council's "insensitive" plans to regenerate Acton Town centre. The Save the Heart of Acton Campaign was created in response to plans to demolish the Priory Community Centre and change of use of Acton Library. A petition signed by 1740 people is to be presented to the Council on Tuesday 14th July by Councillor Gary Malcolm.

Residents believe that they were not adequately consulted in these plans, and while they think that the regeneration of Acton is a good thing, many feel the Priory Centre and the Library are among the best loved buildings and should be refurbished, not put out of use.

Layla Moran, a local Gloucester Road resident, said: "I think that this is yet another example of where Ealing Council treats Acton as a second class area. We love these buildings. They form the heart of Acton and the fact that they want to bulldoze the Priory Community Centre and turn it into 3 to 4 story flats is money grabbing and ill-conceived".

The Save the Heart of Acton Campaign was the brainchild of local residents Mandie Smith and Layla Moran who are concerned that the plans will go ahead and they plan to continue to continue campaigning until the aim is achieved of committing the council to not bulldozing the Priory centre and keeping the original use of the buildings. The Ealing Borough Liberal Democrats have supported the group from the beginning.

Councillor Gary Malcolm said: "When I was asked to help their campaign I said yes straight away as the Priory Centre is the centre of so many good community based activities. I remember 6 years ago when Labour were in power and they wanted to close the Priory Centre. The Liberal Democrats will fight the Council every inch of the way to stop them from selling our land to make a short term profit."

July 15, 2009