Conservatives privatise Roehampton Fields for 57p

Conservative Councillors have approved the transfer of Roehampton Playing Fields in Dover House Road over to Roehampton University.

The plans will grant a 99 year lease to the University in return for refurbishment of the sports pavilion and continued community access to the site for 25% of the time.

I've asked a few questions about this deal:

1) What is current usage by the community of the fields - because if it's more than 25% this is going to kick out some groups and individuals;

2) What are the current planning restrictions and other covenants on the land - because it may well be that he university will try to use the fields at times beyond those it is open now; and if so what protections for surrounding residents are there?

3) How confident can we be that the university remains able to honour its funding commitments, which run to £2 million, given the tighter financial settlements higher education will get irrespective of who wins the next general election?

The response We've had is 1) that the University has guaranteed that no current user will be unable to continue their use; 2) that there are no plans for evening use of the grounds other than in the summer months when flood-lighting won't be needed and 3) that the University has assured the council that it can honour its obligations despite the tighter budgeting it will have to undertake from now on.

For the council this is a nice little earner - they dispose of their responsibility to maintain a large community facility. But what this Conservative administration too often forgets is that Roehampton Fields were planned quite purposefully as a facility for the community - not 25% of the time but 100% of the time.

Regardless of the good intentions of the university - and I accept they will use the fields to a greater extent than they have been in recent years - the council has, de facto, just privatised Roehampton Fields. The community was the sole shareholder in this site; it now has just a 25% stake in it. All for the Conservatives to save 57p on council tax.

I just think the community should be far more seriously involved in decisions like this to sell off Putney's family silver rather than just being slipped through as item 16 in a committee report in the first week of the New Year. It's not as if we can do anything about it for a century now.