Good points well made, seeformiles.

My point about making a large part of the gardens redundant is that you can usually phase works like this so as not to disrupt its daily use, but seemingly this hasn't been given its due consideration. I doubt if this was ever made clear to anyone during the main consultation process. A year can be a long time especially in the life of a child so I remain disappointed that my children won't be able to use the gardens this summer in the way they have done in the past.

I share the view that 'development' isnt' always necessary to enhance premises and gardens like these. Sometimes less is more.
I didn't really get the point of the wholesale redevelopment proposals when I attended some of the presentations made a few years ago and I do mean it when I say that individual career building comes into this. Sometimes people like to put their stamp on something and that generally isnt achieved by leaving something as it is. I will wait to be convinced when these works are complete but I do hope that this doesn't transpire to be another white elephant. There are definitely two trains of thought in all of this; those who equate development with progress and progress with development and those who don't always see development as a necessary prerequisite to progress. Change can be achieved without major building construction. Its still my view that what is happening is overdevelopment of that site but I do genuinely hope that I am wrong but I feel I am not.