Public parks in London and beyond are being put at risk by a high court ruling in favor of Enfield council renting a redeveloped golf course to Tottenham Hotspur for a football academy, campaigners say.
The court ruled that Enfield council can hand over more than half of the 97-hectare (240-acre) Whitewebbs Park to Spurs, who have submitted plans to the council to build a new academy for women and girls on the green belt. place.
Judge Mold dismissed the campaigners, led by local resident Sean Wilkinson, who argued that the council was bound by a legal duty to ensure the council’s wildlife-rich former golf course remained open to the general public for recreational purposes.
Campaigners have vowed to appeal the verdict and continue fighting against plans to fence and build on a stretch of the park, which was sold to the council to benefit the people of the borough almost a century ago. Since the public golf course closed in 2021, Whitewebbs has been widely used by local people and wildlife, including 80 species of birds and at least nine species of bats, as well as newts and great-crested badgers.
Wilkinson, a retired teacher, said: “It would be terrible if that verdict stood, not just for Whitewebbs but for virtually any open space in the London area and beyond. We are seeing a revitalization of the enclosure movement by large corporations and this will allow other sports clubs and companies to take over land.
“There is no difference between this type of industrial sports facility and the development of a low-level factory. The Spurs want to create a fortified camp in the park. “We are definitely going to fight this.”
Activists are asking the judge for permission to appeal the verdict. The activists’ lawyer, Harriet Child of the Public Interest Law Centre, said: “If this can happen in Whitewebbs Park, it can happen anywhere. It can happen to your local park, playground, or playing field.
“Land in public trust was one of the great and radical advances that emerged from the public backlash against development that encroaches on people’s ability to access open space. It’s terribly sad that we’ve lost sight of that as a society.
“This ruling shows a willingness to sell land to private companies that people fought so hard to protect for the public almost 100 years ago.”
Enfield council is handing Spurs a 25-year ground lease for £2m. Activist Ed Allnutt added: “The works that will be carried out are irreversible and damaging. It’s not just people who use the park: it’s home to reptiles, badgers and birds listed as priority habitat. It is adjacent to the beaver habitat at Forty Hall. This is a huge construction project that will permanently change a beautiful and biodiverse landscape. The venue will greatly benefit a huge private company, foreign-owned Tottenham Hotspur, for an elite academy. “It will be a permanent loss for the community and nature.”
In his written verdict, Mold concluded that the proposed training facilities “were not limited to commercial football training” and “would encourage a large element of community access and support women’s and girls’ football at a local level”.
Alice Roberts, head of campaigns at CPRE London, an environmental charity, called on Spurs to withdraw their planning application for Whitewebbs and develop the facility elsewhere.
“We are hugely disappointed that a wealthy football club like Tottenham Hotspur sees it appropriate to take over a public park when it can afford to buy land elsewhere,” he said.
“We strongly support the provision of women’s football, but this is a wealthy professional football club that has plenty of resources to buy land that is not public parks.”
Roberts added: “I am shocked that it is possible for a council to sell a park to a very rich organization with impunity.”
When QPR attempted to build a new training ground on public playing fields at Warren Farm in west London, a public outcry led the football club to back down. Instead, Warren Farm will become a publicly accessible nature reserve.
Spurs’ plans for Whitewebbs, which will be considered by Enfield’s planning committee and are open to public comment until the end of the month, involve the club developing and managing 53 hectares of the park. Part of this will be fenced for the women’s academy, including indoor facilities and all-weather pitches, as well as a sports turf academy, surrounded by new tree plantings.
An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “Enfield Council welcomes this ruling which confirms that due process was followed throughout up to the decision to enter into the tenancy agreement. The leasing of part of Whitewebbs Park will bring significant benefits to the local community, including the protection and enhancement of the park and woodland, further investment in a new cafe, toilets and other facilities on site, as well as the preservation of open public access to more than 80% of the park for all residents.”
The Spurs declined to comment.
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