Users and residents display commitment to collaborate for a community led alternative

Around sixty residents and users met to discuss the Wandsworth Borough Council (WBC) proposal to dispose of the Roehampton Playing Fields by way of a 30-year lease to a commercial leisure provider, TFC Leisure. Disquiet was expressed that these proposals have been rushed through without consideration of viable alternatives.

image @ Stuart King 2010

The meeting on 21st November, followed the Open Evening held by WBC which many residents and users didn’t know about, were unable to attend at short notice or, while attending, were unable to get clear answers to their questions.

There was a very strong sense of cohesion across the diverse West Putney and Roehampton community in attendance. Playing field users and residents displayed their strong commitment to collaborate in order to achieve their shared driving vision of a community-led alternative proposition for Roehampton Playing Fields.

Attendees, all with slightly different but deeply felt concerns, left the meeting with the overwhelming majority urging the Council to listen to their views strongly opposing the disposal of the Roehampton Playing Fields. They agreed to urge WBC officers and councillors to work collaboratively and constructively with users and the local community to develop a far better solution which protects current users and preserves this community sports ground for future generations.

Leaders from Dover House Lions Youth and Disability FC explained the grave risk to the future of their club, and to their valuable social and sporting support of their young players. The St James cricket club (‘CC’), which works with the Furzedown Project, told the meeting that the proposals will result in closure of the last remaining hire-able genuine cricket ground in Wandsworth and will also have serious implications for the Nasir CC which works with the South Asian community.

The ARK Academy representative told the meeting that ARK needs much more access to the Playing Fields for their rapidly expanding pupil numbers than the commercially-run fields will provide. Primary schools have been told that they will have continued access but recognise that they are reliant on all aspects of the investment, access and pricing commitments being promised actually being delivered by a commercial provider. Both groups are also concerned that state school access needs will not be protected and that they will be ‘priced out’ by other, wealthier, users.

The meeting also heard that while the Playing Fields are currently underused, those who had tried to access facilities such as the tennis courts through the current booking system found it impossible to use. It was thought that income from users, even at protected rates, could be far better managed without the need to bring in a commercial leisure operator with their inevitable pursuit of commercial gain.

The Fields are surrounded on all four sides by residential housing, which makes the WBC proposition for the Playing Fields very different to the other facilities run by TFC at Rocks Lane and elsewhere - and, in the view of most at the meeting, an entirely inappropriate location for a commercial leisure development.

The meeting was addressed by representatives from all affected groups: DHERA for the Dover House Estate, Queen Mary’s Place residents, from Crestway and from the Westmead/Coppice/Longwood Drive area. All sets of residents expressed great concern with the proposals with particular focus on:

• Loss of community sports such as Dover House Lions FC and the cricket clubs, and school sports for maintained and private schools (most of which have no on-site sports and recreation facilities)
• No provision being made for the huge increase in traffic and parking particularly for the Dover House estate where parking is already a major problem
• No recognition at all of the impact on residents particularly the noise until late in the evenings which the commercial use of the fields will bring and the installation of floodlights in use to 9:00 PM and beyond only 20 meters away from children’s bedrooms in Queen Mary’s Place (‘QMP’)
• Wildlife concerns, which don’t yet seem to have been addressed by the Council’s plans, were also raised: the bat communities which currently exist in and around the fields must be protected, as well as the badgers whose runs were properly taken into account with the QMP development but have not been addressed here.
• Strong and worrying concerns were expressed about the increasingly recognised toxicity risks to health of recycled tyre material and rubber crumb used in the proposed artificial pitches.

There was also discussion of the funding issues: at present it’s understood that the Playing Fields cost the Council £50,000 per year, and that no capital is available to undertake renovation of the pavilion. Residents asked why CIL (community infrastructure levy) raised by the Council e.g. on the sale of the Elliott School playing fields, could not be used for this purpose. Questions were also asked about the £50,000 and whether this cost can be reduced with increased usage, working with partners and sponsors, and with better management.

Attendees were reminded that the e-petition called 'Jo Shearer: Save Roehampton Playing Fields' opposing the proposed disposal, with well over 1,000 signatures already, can be accessed on: www.change.org/p/jo-shearer-save-roehampton-playing-fields and that letters or emails with comments, suggestions and objections to the WBC proposal to dispose of the Roehampton Playing Fields should be sent by 8 December 2017 to The Director of Environment and Community Services (FAO Ms Jo Shearer), WBC, Unit 1F Tadmore House, Frogmore Complex, Dormay Street, London SW18 1EY or by email to jshearer@wandsworth.gov.uk and to roehamptonplayingfieldsproposal@wandsworth.gov.uk and also to West Putney and Roehampton ward councillors.

Submitted by:
Save Roehampton Playing Fields



November 24, 2017