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| Our plans to make Queens Square a nicer place |
"There is up
to a seven year difference in life expectancy between the east and the west of
Crawley, as well as big inequalities in health. These differences are matched
by the variance in smoking rates between the east and west of the town. Smoking
is the biggest single cause of preventable deaths in the UK and the overall
smoking rate in Crawley is higher than the national average.
The health benefits
are obvious but there are also other reasons to discourage smoking. Cigarettes
and other smoking materials are the primary cause of fatal accidental fires in
the home, a major cause of outdoor fires, and are the most common form of
litter in the UK. Crawley has some lovely places but all too often, they can be
spoiled by discarded cigarette ends. They seem to get replaced as fast as the
Council can come round and sweep them up.
The city of
Bristol has recognised this problem as well as that crucially; de-normalising
smoking is the best way to stop young people taking up the habit and to help
encourage smokers to quit. In February, Bristol launched voluntary smoke-free
zones in two of their large city centre squares as a trial. I am interested in
what Crawley residents think about me potentially advocating a policy to trial
some of Crawley’s premier outdoor spaces as smoke free areas. Potential places
for consideration would be the Memorial Gardens and Queens Square (not
including the coffee shop outdoor seating areas), once the major improvement
works are completed next year.
Following the regeneration, Queens Square will
have interactive water features and will be an attractive place for families with
children. I can see real potential for making Queens Square and the Memorial
Gardens more pleasant environments for families if no one smoked. However, it is
vital that any such schemes have public support in order to work. Therefore,
before I discuss my idea with councillor colleagues to see whether or not we
should consider advocating site-specific smoke-free zones, I would very much
welcome your thoughts. Please do drop me a line at Duncan.crow@crawley.gov.uk"
