Council holds drop in session with plans for the site for residents to view and comment

At the end of September the council discussed the proposal to lease the playing fields on Doverhouse Road to TFC Leisure Ltd (who run Rocks Lane Multi Sport Centre in Barnes (Bishops' Park and Chiswick).

image @ Stuart King 2010

Residents and interested parties can pop to the Pavilion on Roehampton Playing Fields from 4-7pm on Monday 13 November to see the proposed plans and at the same time ask questions and express their views to the councils' proposals.

The playing fields are currently used extensively, throughout the week and throughout the year, by:

• Dover House Lions, a community football club affiliated to the Football Association, for local young people up to age 21, providing weekly training and matches from August through to May/June. Membership exceeds 100 young people and the club provides a very valuable and positive weekend diversion. The cost of membership is kept at just £3 per child per week

• During the summer the fields are used every weekend by two local community cricket clubs, involving local young people

• The fields are used during the week by local school members of the well-established Putney Primary Schools Sports Association, none of which have on-site facilities for football, athletics, cricket, hockey and other popular sports. The facilities are particularly busy during the summer term when they are used for whole school sports days, with parent and family participation across the playing fields with activities and competitions for all ages

• There is also regular day and early evening use of the fields by several local private schools, most of which have no on-site games and sporting facilities.

TFC proposes to build a large floodlit set of small artificial surface ‘astroturf’ pitches, divided by high tennis netting, across the Roehampton Playing Fields, taking up nearly 50% of the playing field space and covering a large area of 112m x 76m, plus a small lacrosse and and hockey ‘training area’.

Local resident Sarah Wilton voiced her concerns: " The proposed disposal of the Roehampton Playing Fields for commercial use will lead to the loss of these well-used and flexible playing fields for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of local youngsters. The disposal poses a grave threat to the future of the Dover House Lions Youth and Disability Football Club, the two community cricket clubs and many local primary schools’ sports days and football and athletics activities. Residents and users are very unhappy and urge the Council to reconsider their plans".


Some of the Dover House Lions members

Anita Russell, organiser for the Dover House Lions said: "Doverhouse Lions has a strong philosophy and values and aim to not just coach football but to provide the children with a springboard for life. Doverhouse Lions FC continues to have strong links with schools and the local community police. As a club we work positively with the Youth offending team by enabling them to complete any reparation hours they may have been given through the youth courts. I believe that the club video demonstrates very clearly what the Dover House Lions do and what will be lost if these proposals go ahead".

We have asked the council to comment on residents concerns.

November 10, 2017