The Royal Parks have submitted a planning application for a new sports facility in The Regent's Park, as the final part of the Park's Sports Masterplan.

The application was submitted towards the end of September, following a long period of discussion with Westminster City Council and consultation with local community groups and other stakeholders. The application has now been validated and the planning process is underway.

"There have been a lot of rumours about the proposed sports facility. One genuine fact is that it will give local schools and community groups more than 400 hours a week of playing time, at a heavily subsidised cost," said Nick Biddle, Park Manager of The Regent's Park.

"We've been working closely with local schools for many years and we know that if we build it, they will come. More importantly, at a time when there is massive concern about keeping kids healthy and out of trouble, this is a major contribution to the local community.

"The proposed facility will directly impact around two acres of the Holford House site and this will be balanced by returning a little over an acre of the former golf & tennis school to meadow land, a valuable habitat for birds, insects and small mammals. In fact the whole Sports Masterplan has in the past three years turned over about 28 acres of the Park to meadow and has planted 10,000 wildflower plants.

"The pitches, the pavilion, the lighting system and the landscaping will all be designed to minimise the facility's impact on the Park and the environment."

The Royal Parks will be holding open door briefing sessions so that people can learn more about the actual proposal and have their questions answered. Further details will be announced soon and the public sessions will be on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October at The Hub in The Regent's Park.

Katy Murray
T: 020 7298 2145
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 9 Pitches at 14 hours equals 126 hours per day.
• The facility is planned to be open 7 days a week, which at 126 hours a day equals 882 hours.
• The proposal is for approximately 60% 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 a 75% discounted rate for our community partners.

The application has how been validated which means the Local Planning Authority believe they now have all of the necessary technical information to re-consult with the statutory consultees. Subject to any queries arising from this process and the completion of a community use agreement, the application will be determined by the WCC Planning Applications Sub-Committee later this year.