Court bid to prevent Spurs leasing rewilded London golf course fails
According to yahoonews, Whitewebbs Park was first given to the Enfield government for the benefit of the people in the area almost 100 years ago. People who were campaigning said that the green area had to stay open to the public by law.
People who are against the high court decision say that it puts at risk public parks all over London and beyond by letting Enfield council rent a rewilded golf course to Tottenham Hotspur for a football school.
Enfield council can give Spurs more than half of the 97-hectare (240-acre) Whitewebbs Park. Spurs has plans to build a new women’s and girls’ school on the green belt land, and the court has agreed with their plans.
Campaigners, led by local resident Sean Wilkinson, said that the council had a legal duty to keep the wildlife-rich old government golf course open for pleasure to everyone. Mr. Justice Mould didn’t agree with them.
The people who were fighting have said they will review the decision and will keep fighting plans to fence off and build on a part of the park that was sold to the council almost 100 years ago to help the people of the borough.
Since the public golf course ended in 2021, Whitewebbs has been used by many people in the area as well as 80 species of birds, at least nine species of bats, great crested newts, and badgers.
Wilkinson, a retired teacher, said, “It would be terrible if that decision stood, and not just for Whitewebbs. It would be terrible for almost any open space in the London area and beyond.” The enclosure movement is gaining steam again thanks to big businesses, which will make it easier for other businesses and sports clubs to take over land.
“There’s no difference between this type of industrial sports facility and a basic factory site.” Spurs want to build a protected camp in the park. We are going to fight this for sure.
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Campaigners want the judge to let them file an appeal against the decision. Harriet Child of the Public Interest Law Centre, the lawyers for the protesters, said, “If this can happen in Whitewebbs Park, it can happen anywhere.” It could happen at the park, playground or field near you.
“Public trust land was one of the big and important changes that came about when people spoke out against how development was limiting their access to open space.” As a society, we’ve lost sight of that, which is very sad.
It seems like people are ready to sell land to private companies that they worked so hard to protect for the public almost 100 years ago.
Spurs will pay £2 million to the city of Enfield to rent the land for 25 years. Campaigner Ed Allnutt said, “The work that will be done can’t be undone and is harmful.” People aren’t the only ones who use the park. Reptiles, badgers, and birds on the environment priority list also live there. It’s right next to Forty Hall’s beaver refuge.
This is a big building project that will change a beautiful, biologically varied area of land for good. For a top school, the barrier will mostly help Tottenham Hotspur, a big private company that is owned overseas. This is a lifelong loss for the neighbourhood and nature.
Mould wrote in his decision that the planned training centre would “foster a large element of community access and support women’s and girls’ football locally” and would not only be used for business football training.
Alice Roberts, who is in charge of projects at the environmental charity CPRE London, asked Spurs to pull their planning application for Whitewebbs and build the facilities somewhere else.
She said, “We are very upset that a wealthy football club like Tottenham Hotspur thinks it’s okay to take over a public park when they can easily buy land somewhere else.”
“While we strongly support making room for women’s football, this is a wealthy professional football club that has the money to buy land that is not public park land.”
Another thing Roberts said was, “I can’t believe a council could sell a park to a very wealthy group.”
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People were upset when QPR wanted to build a new training place on public playing fields at Warren Farm in west London. Eventually, the football club gave up their plans. Warren Farm will instead be turned into a nature area that anyone can visit.
The public has until the end of the month to speak on Spurs’ plans for Whitewebbs, which will be looked at by Enfield’s planning committee. The club wants to develop and run 53 hectares of the park. A section of this will be blocked off for the women’s academy, which will have indoor facilities, all-weather pitches, and a sports grass academy. New trees will be planted around the edges of the academy.
A spokesman for the Enfield council said, “The Enfield council is pleased with this decision, which confirms that the right steps were taken at all times before the decision to sign the lease agreement.” The lease of part of Whitewebbs Park will have big benefits for the local community.
The park and woods will be better maintained and protected, and more money will be spent on a new cafe, bathrooms, and other facilities. All residents will also be able to continue to use over 80% of the park freely.
Spurs refused to say anything.
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