It's an eatery too far, park activists argue

New York

In the spring sunshine, the grass is glistening, flowers are blossoming and sunbathers are clustered on the benches along the paths, chatting, reading or enjoying lunch. This picture of tranquility can be found in Union Square Park, in the middle of a busy New York transport hub.

It will be complete when the city authorities finish renovating a 78-year-old pavilion at the centre of the park. One of two in the city's parks, the two-storey pavilion has been closed to the public since the 1970s financial crisis and left to decay, with only its lower level used by the Department of Parks and Recreation for storage and a now-closed outdoor cafe that rented the space briefly as a kitchen.

But the renovation, which started earlier this year, was temporarily halted by a court last week after it became the centre of a lawsuit against the city. The plaintiffs - including community activists, residents and a former councillor - are the same people who have been calling on the city to rescue the pavilion. But they are far from happy with plans to turn it into a restaurant.

To opponents like Geoffrey Croft, president of the NYC Park Advocates, what the neighbourhood needs is not another restaurant but a playground for children. Mr Croft, who says he loves dining outside, has visited all of the city's 1,600 parks in the past seven years. He supports his demands for a playground with statistics he has taken: there are 153 restaurants and bars in the two blocks around the park and there are only two parks with playgrounds in the entire district covering more than 40 blocks north from Union Square. 'That area has the lowest amount of playground space of any community board in New York City and it has the highest concentration of restaurants,' said Mr Croft, who joined other plaintiffs in the lawsuit that challenges the city to get permission from the state before it can change park space into non-park use.

Mr Croft would like to see the 1,000 sq ft space inside the pavilion returned to children - after all, it was called the Women and Children's Pavilion in its previous life.