Help us save Regent's Park, Mark Blackburn tells Ken

6.25.50pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 1st Apr 2007

Mark is defending Regent's Park from the bulldozers

Local Liberal Democrat Mark Blackburn spoke with Mayor of London Ken Livingstone at a London Zoo event on 29 March about proposals to concrete over parts of Regent's Park and build private football pitches.

The park's golf and tennis school has already been forced to close, despite the fact that no planning permission has yet been given to build the private football pitches.

Commenting on his conversation with the Mayor of London, Mark, who is the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Council by-election in Westminster 's Abbey Road ward to be held on Thursday 3 May, said:

"The Mayor knew that the private football pitches were being built, but he was unaware that the golf and tennis school was facing closure. He told me that he would speak to Tessa Jowell, the Government's Culture Secretary, to see if anything could be done about that. It was useful to be able to speak to him and alert him to it.

"I was pleased to learn that he was totally against the destruction of meadowland in Regent's Park for this private development."

Mark's total opposition to private development of Regent's Park is a key pledge he is making in the Abbey Road ward by-election. Mark said, "A Liberal Democrat vote on 3 May is a vote to defend the park. Every single vote for the Liberal Democrats will be a message that local people don't want to see meadows built on for the sake of private football pitches."

Potential candidates have until noon on Wednesday 4 April to nominate themselves for the by-election.