Agenda item

The Committee are asked to receive a petition which requests the restoration of a recreational area at South Oxhey Playing Fields, as the petition details below. The petition has been signed by 126 residents.

“We, the undersigned residents of the local community, urge the Three Rivers District Council to:

·        Reassess the situation and consider the reinstatement of a recreational area, suitable for playing recreational cricket at South Oxhey Playing Fields, taking into account the needs and preferences of the community.

·        Conduct a transparent and open consultation process with the community to discuss the future of the park and its facilities, including the potential reinstatement of a cricket pitch for recreational cricket or a similar recreational area.

·        Commit to prioritising community needs and preferences when making decisions about park facilities and ensuring open communication throughout the process.

·        Consider alternative solutions: Explore alternative solutions that address the Council's concerns while preserving the valuable community space, previously utilised for recreational activities.”

The Committee were asked to receive a petition under Council Procedure Rule 18, which requested the restoration of a recreational area at South Oxhey Playing Fields. The petition had been signed by 126 residents.

Vishal Patel, who raised the petition on behalf of the residents, presented the petition and made the following points:

·        That Three Rivers District Council consider the re-instatement of an area for recreational cricket on the playing fields at South Oxhey.

·        It would be considered recreational cricket for the community and as such, a tennis ball may be used and there could be any number of players, with a minimum of 6.

·        A good number of players were using the facilities in the Summer, mostly on Sundays or in the evening. The petition was mainly about the community and giving everyone the chance to play cricket.

·        The options suggested at meetings with the Council and Councillors were not workable, such as using removable mats. There were currently concrete blocks on the field used by members to play cricket.

The Chairs verbal and written response to the petition was as follows:

“Thank you for coming to address the Climate Change, Leisure and Housing Committee. Thank you for your questions at Full Council. I have known South Oxhey Playing Fields since childhood. After the Full Council meeting, I spoke to Councillors who live and represent South Oxhey on Three Rivers District Council.

As has been previously advised to the petitioner on several occasions both publicly and privately, the council holds no records of a cricket pitch or cricket facilities in South Oxhey Playing Fields nor of any use formal or otherwise of the location for organised cricket. There is, therefore, nothing to reinstate. 

Extensive, transparent and open, public consultation has taken place in relation to the South Oxhey Playing Fields over the past few years. A public consultation on the refurbishment of the outdoor leisure facilities was undertaken in May and June of 2022 with over 500 responses with a further consultation of detailed design taking place in September/October 2022. As a result of that public consultation significant investment was made in facilities and that investment has been very well received by the local community.

Following this further public consultation has taken place with regard to the Green Space Action Plan for South Oxhey playing fields in October 2023 and again in April/ May of this year, 2024. The consultation was widely publicised by the Council and the results of this, together with the proposed Green Space action plan for the site will come to this committee later this municipal year. 

This council is, and repeatedly demonstrates that it is committed to meeting the needs of its communities but we recognise and acknowledge that we must do so responsibly and within our means. In relation to our parks, open spaces and leisure provision we are a council that has not cut these services despite the budget challenges local government has and continues to face and we have a strong track record of securing external funding to support our ambitions including with the recent improvements at South Oxhey Playing Fields. As a council, we do, however, recognise that this requires a balance and as such we continue to strive to ensure that we balance the amenity needs and priorities of our communities with the ecological needs and requirements of our natural environment.

Officers have made more than reasonable attempts to offer the petitioner alternative solutions in this matter including the introduction of cricket markings on the new multi-use games area at south Oxhey for the petitioners, but they have not accepted any of them.

Several years ago, when I was Chair of Three Rivers District Council, I attended a Cricket competition at Merchant Taylors School organised by the Sri Lankan community who had hired the facilities.

I am working with other cricket clubs in Three Rivers due to the challenges they have faced with the weather.

Thank you for coming to the Committee. If you want to discuss again any of the suggestions that officers had originally proposed, I am sure that they will be happy to do so”.