The proposed sports facility at the former Holford House site has received over 2500 signatures of support in just three weekends.

Those signing up were people using the existing sports provision in The Regent's Park over the weekends of 20-21st & 27-28th October and 3-4th November. They included sports players, parents, coaches and other Park users.

Nick Biddle, Park Manager of The Regent's Park said, "The opponents of the sports facility claim to speak for the local community but clearly they don't. This is why in just three weekends we received well over 2500 signatures of support. After all, the new pitches will bring 400 hours a week of sports to local schools and community groups and unlike the Parks' grass pitches they won't be turned over to cricket or softball during the summer."

David Ellis, Community Sports Officer for The Regent's Park said, "The new facility will be all about sport and exercise, including five-a-side football, kwik-cricket, mini-hockey and touch rugby. At a time when there is massive concern about keeping kids healthy and out of trouble, it will make a vital contribution to some of the less privileged sections of our community."

The proposed facility (including all nine pitches, the pavilion and car parking for 14 cars/mini-buses) covers just 1.76 acres, with a further 1.33 acres of landscaping, habitat creation and protection. Over an acre of land from the site of the former Golf and Tennis School will be returned to meadowland.

The facility will be built to minimise impact on the local wildlife. The pavilion will have a natural meadow-grass roof, lighting will be specially designed and although a total of 50 trees will be removed, only two trees are of high quality or value, with six being of moderate quality or value and the remainder low quality or young trees*. To balance this loss the Royal Parks has already planted 180 trees across the Park.

* As per British Standard 5837 (2005) Tree Categorisation

Lucy Skipper
T: 0300 061 2145
E: lskipper@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk

Katy Murray
T: 0300 061 2128
E: kmurray@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk

The more than 400 hours a week of playing time has been calculated in the following fashion:

• The facility is proposed to be open from 8am till 10pm, approximately, which equals 14 hours a day.
• Proposed nine pitches at 14 hours equals 126 hours per day.
• The facility is planned to be open seven days a week, which at 126 hours a day equals 882 hours.
• The proposal is for over 50% of available pitch time to be used by The Royal Parks for community sports.
• Allowing a generous margin across all calculations and to ensure our figures aren't seen as an exaggeration, we will calculate with only 50% of pitch time being available for community sports, which is half of 882 hours, that is 441 hours. This is 'more than 400 hours'.

The Regent's Park sports team work in partnership with community groups and state schools and make existing facilities available at heavily subsidised rates (50%). The current proposals for use of the proposed facility would see up to a 75% discounted rate for our community partners.