THE rumour is that Waltham Forest Council has decided to build a large housing estate on Chestnut Fields, the field immediately behind the Town Hall.

The plan will include the allotments beside Chestnut Fields, closure of the Pool & Track and part of the Monoux sixth form college grounds all being eaten up by the new housing estate.

Anyone who visits Chestnut Fields on a regular basis at this time of year will see a facility that is enjoyed by young and not so young folk partaking in football, cricket and rounders matches. We also see joggers, kite fliers and dog walkers all making the most of the British summer.

It is also a great place to witness some outstanding wildlife including foxes, squirrels, woodpeckers, hedge sparrows, butterflies and a family of ducks who return to the same spot each and every year.

With the government encouraging us all to eat healthily and take regular exercise, this seems a ludicrous decision to remove all that is good (allotments pool & track and Chestnut Field) to make way for a new housing estate that in these recession-hit times nobody will be able to afford.

My proposal for the area, for what it’s worth, would be to leave the vast majority as it is and just lose a small part of Chestnut Field to build some stocks and pillories for the town planners / decision makers. The allotment holders would be especially pleased with somewhere to rid themselves of their rotting fruit and vegetables. I feel sure my proposal, if put to the public vote, would be far more popular with the local people than the housing estate idea.

C.Meyer,

Northbank Road,

Walthamstow.