Claim overwhelming support from Roehampton community and existing users

Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust explain plans to cricket match spectators

A business plan has been developed by the Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust to provide the Council with a full explanation of their approach to running the playing fields.

They say they have addressed issues of concern raised by local residents such as light and noise pollution and parking and have demonstrated how the playing fields can ‘pay their own way’ through more effective management and increased usage.

As well as demonstrating financial sustainability the Trust says it has been successful in engaging the local community, existing and potential users of the site and a wide range of stakeholders to understand priorities, concerns and opportunities, with comprehensive community impact assessments completed.

They say surveys of residents in the adjacent Westmead and Dover House estates indicate overwhelming support for the Trust operating the playing fields, keen to safeguard the playing fields’ fate from commercial interests and ensure local needs are served. Significant financial pledges have been made by members of the local community, to boost plans to invest in the facilities.

Existing users the Dover House Lions Youth and Disability Football Club, St James and Nasir Cricket clubs and many local maintained and independent schools support the Trust’s proposals.

The Trust will also be looking for new opportunities and partnerships that would increase usage, improve inclusion and promote social mobility that would support the council’s wider sporting, cultural, healthy living and open
spaces strategy. One example is an aspiration to partner with Rackets Cubed, a Wandsworth based charity that provides integrated sports, education and nutrition programmes for local disadvantaged school children.

Facility improvement plans under consideration focus firstly on protecting the greenfield open space and then on providing a pavilion that is fit for purpose, restoration of the tennis / netball courts, creation of an all-weather pitch, walking / jogging track and an outside gym and developing links with Queen Mary’s Hospital, whilst being sympathetic to the concerns of local residents.

Justine Greening MP chairs the Trust’s Stakeholder Board. She said, “Having worked with the Trust, with local community groups and with residents over the last few months, I have seen a great deal of progress made to develop sustainable and viable alternative proposals for running the playing fields. These plans focus very much on the fields as a community asset, with both immediate and longer term community benefits, including health gain as well as active participation across all age groups. I think they have come up with a great community bid to run the playing fields and have written to Wandsworth Borough Council to let them know how supportive I am.”

Members of the Trust have been engaged in active discussion with Wandsworth Council since December. The Trust says it is confident that it can deliver a better solution for Roehampton Playing Fields with the support of the local community and the backing of the council.

The Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust was set up in response to the announcement in December 2017 by Wandsworth Council that the local community was to be given the opportunity to forward its own proposal for the future of the Roehampton Playing Fields. Plans announced by the council, following completion of a tender process for operation of the fields on a commercial basis, received a large number of objections leading the council to make a
concession to listen to an alternative community led proposal.

A spokesperson for the Trust said, “The Trust’s vision is to establish a vibrant and inclusive multi-sport and activity facility with the capacity to meet a wide range of local community needs. The combination of a young and growing population in Wandsworth coupled with a shortage of playing fields makes it vital that the full potential of the Roehampton Playing Fields is realised.”