Camden New Journal - News: Five-a-side plans deemed off-side

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Camden New Journal - by DAN CARRIER
Published: 04 October 2007

Five-a-side plans deemed off-side

DRESSED head to toe in black, members of the Primrose Hill Community Association are planning to lead a funeral cortege to Regent’s Park to grieve for the death of a meadow.
The Royal Parks and private football tournament company Goals Soccer Centres have applied to Westminster Council for permission to build nine five-a-side pitches. But the association believe the plans, which include a bar and car park on site, will wreck the area and ruin the habitat for wildlife, which includes rare tawny owls and bats.
Speaking at the association’s annual general meeting last week, board member Judy Hillman expressed dismay at the plans. The meeting voted unanimously to oppose the plans.
Ms Hillman said: “These plans are incredibly damaging to the Park and there is a passionate feeling that we must do all we can to get the planning application refused. It sets a bad precedent if it goes ahead.”
Members of the Friends of Regent’s Park last week met and discussed chaining themselves to trees to stop the work.
Members also expressed concern that the park was being used more and more as a money spinner for the Royal Parks agency. The park already has 14 full sized football pitches available, costing £45 per match.
Park manager Nick Biddle defended the plans. He said the deal would increase the opportunities for young people to have all-weather pitches that are open all the year round.
He said: “This will give us 400 hours of playing time each week to rent out to community groups. We will charge at a 75 per cent discount on the rates offered by the Goals company charge.”
He added that the worries over the loss of wildlife-friendly long grass had been countered by the return of 28 acres to meadowland.
Mr Biddle refuted the allegation that the pitches were part of a creeping commercialisation of the park.

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