Dear Editor,
Two weeks ago, a renovated London Heritage Farm site was opened by Mayor Brodie, accompanied by a handful of city and government officials.
During this ceremony, little to no attention was paid to what was factually accomplished during the almost two-year project.
Debatable is the overall change from a pleasant, though rather neglected venue, to a streamlined, somewhat pretentious theme park complete with mind-numbing signs that tell you where everything is and particularly what it is.
One of the most attractive park features used to be a small pond, teeming with wildlife of all feathers.
An utterly charming, monetesque gem, now crossed by a bridge so bulky, so expensive and so huge as if constructed to support multiple contingents of battle tanks, crossing the wildest section of the Fraser River or the Volga.
Richmond council saw an opportunity to ruin a hollowed heritage gem, and they took it with a heavy duty broom rather than with an artist’s brush to “open up the area.”
As an appalled citizen, I demand this over the top bridge to be demolished, and suggest to the City of Richmond decision makers to hire future designers with some respect for heritage and a sense of proportion and beauty.
Robert Berkhout
Richmond
