A Greenwich Council meeting packed with New Eltham residents erupted in applause when plans to demolish STC Sports Club were rejected
Unpopular plans to demolish a sports club in New Eltham and build 205 homes on its land have been refused by Greenwich Council. Last night’s (July 21) Planning Board meeting was packed with New Eltham residents who celebrated when the South London authority rejected plans that would have seen the demise of STC Sports Club and several pitches.
The planning application—submitted by Sigma Strategic Land to Greenwich Council last summer—received hundreds of objections from neighbours who did not want to see the 9.4 acre site at Ivor Grove built on.
Greenwich planners recommended the proposal be refused because they believed it would result in the loss of “valued” sporting and community facilities, it would constitute “inappropriate development” on Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and the applicant had not demonstrated the homes would receive adequate sunlight.
Eltham councillors Patricia Greenwell and Charlie Davis both spoke against the proposal, with Cllr Greenwell recalling fond memories of her grandson learning to play football on the STC pitches and Cllr Davis saying it was “fantastic to see” so many New Eltham residents attending the meeting to voice their opposition.
Seven residents spoke against the application starting with Simon Trill who spoke on behalf of the STC Development Action Group.
He argued the application should be refused simply because the site had MOL protections. MOL is a planning designation used exclusively in London to protect strategically important open spaces within the built-up urban area.
Mr Trill also said 19 teams had signed up to use the STC sports pitches next season and the loss of such a facility would be “irrecoverable in the local area”.
Laura Say lives next to the proposed development entrance and spoke about how well used the sports club and pitches were used by the community. She said: “This is not neglected land. It is not waiting to be reduced. It is living, used and much loved as a community space.
“This ground is where friendships are made, where grandparents watch their grandchildren play sports, where neighbours meet by chance and become friends and where people are part of a community. Once that is gone, that cannot be recreated somewhere else with a cheque or a replacement building.”
Leslie Crook, director and chair of the King’s Bowls Club, spoke in support of the proposal as the club’s 64 members would have benefitted from a brand new clubhouse if the homes were approved.
She said: “In our opinion, this proposal represents an excellent opportunity to deliver much needed new homes while also securing the long-term future of an important community facility.”
Philip Allin, a director at planning consultancy Boyer, acknowledged that the pitches were regularly used but argued that they were on private land and were not actually available for public use. He said they needed a £500k investment to bring them up to standard.
In response to this, Planning Board chair Jeremy Fraser said he did not appreciate Mr Allin’s “threat” that football may cease to be played on those pitches just because they were on private land.
Mr Allin also said the applicant was proposing a £4m package that would improve several other pitches and associated facilities across the borough, all on council-owned land.
He argued that the 205 homes, half of which would have been affordable, would have made “a valuable contribution to providing a home for some of the nearly 24,000 households on the council’s housing register”.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to refuse the planning application to massive applause. Cllr Fraser did warn New Eltham residents that the homes could still be approved. He said: “We hope you as a community stay together to continue to be able to argue this. This isn’t the end.”
As the STC scheme was for more than 50 residential units, the proposal will be referred to the mayor’s office and the housing secretary. They both have the power to overturn Greenwich Council’s refusal.
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