CAMPAIGNERS are urging residents to have a say on the restoration of a beauty spot, after concerns about the length of public consultation.

People can discuss the future of Wanstead Park with Peter Wilkinson, an expert leading the project for the Corporation of London, at a meeting on Thursday, January 13.

Households in Wanstead have recently been sent a consultation document by the Corporation, asking how they use the park and how it should be improved.

Alan Cornish, chairman of the Friends of Wanstead Parklands, said: “The official consultation will be over a two week period in February. It's an extremely quick turnaround.

“The meeting is for local people to put forward their ideas.

“We want to set the ball rolling as soon as possible, and make sure as many people will be able to contribute to what happens.”

The Corporation pledged to restore the park after it was put on English Heritage's 'at risk' register in 2009, over concerns that the landscape was declining and in urgent need of investment.

At the moment, several groups manage different areas of the park, including Wanstead Golf Club and Redbridge Council, as well as the Corporation of London which oversees the bulk of the land as part of Epping Forest.

Mr Cornish added: “When the park was put on the 'at risk' register one of the principle criticisms was that there was no unified management, which is important for the preservation of the waterways.

“A lot of people get great pleasure and enjoyment from the pond system. It's the bedrock of the park.”

Following the meeting and the public consultation, the Corporation will publish a 'Conservation Statement' next spring, outlining aspects of the park people want to see restored, before a more detailed plan in early 2012.

Richard Arnopp, honorary secretary of the Wanstead Parklands Community Project, said: “There are competing views of the work that the park should get.

“Some value the parkland as a wilderness area, while other people are more interested in its history and restoring some of the surviving garden features from the 17th and 18th centuries.

“They include the amphitheatre, which is from around 1713 and is now barely recognisable.

“Our group is particularly concerned with preserving the history of the park, such as the grotto, which is one of the best examples in the country.”

Next year the Corporation of London will decide whether to apply for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to pay for the work.

The project's manager, Peter Wilkinson, spent 13 years as parks manager for Bristol City Council, where he oversaw the restoration of a number of large country estates, before become a consultant.

Mr Wilkinson said: “We understand the view that the consultation might be a bit rushed but people want us to get on, and if the City of London decide to apply for funding that has to be done to a certain time-scale.”

The meeting will be held in the Churchill Room in Wanstead Library at 7.30pm. Admission will cost £3 on the door, and £1 for Friends of Wanstead Park members.