The tennis club have announced on their website this morning that the Consultation to members Re The imminent sale of The Romany site is now
cancelled due to Save The Romany Campaigners planning on picketing outside their tennis club at 10am on Sunday morning when their members were asked to come to that very important consultation
"
I'm afraid we would probably have to inform the police of a potential public order concern. We are also worried about security for members arriving and leaving and we suspect that non-members may try and gain access to the clubhouse"
Playgroup Toddlers in buggies, 7 year old Cub Scouts in their uniforms and their parents are hardly going to be a public order concern or be threatening anyone or "invading the club" This is not an Anti Poll Tax Demonstration , their dramatic cancellation is laughable.
MPLTC Letter here
http://bit.ly/1qHWIki
(Tennis members comments on this letter is interesting)
But we shall still be there at 10am Sunday 6th to demonstrate to attending club members the
reality of their clubs behaviour and who their clubs committees incomprehensible decision is going to truly affect.
It appears that the Clubs sub committee don't want an open discussion but want to restrict "discussion" to emails.
Following the public meeting, the position would appear to be this:
The tennis club sub committee have accepted an offer of £300k subject to tennis club members approval.
They have declined an offer of £350k from a local philanthropist who wishes to keep the space open with existing use for the wider community- Wandsworth Twins Club, The Playhouse Playgroup, 1st Wandsworth Scouts, dance groups.etc- see list below.
The tennis club have rejected the higher initial bid on the basis that they believe that the developer will be able to develop the Romany.
This will trigger a £200k bonus for them. Clearly they are proposing that the tennis club members support the development of the Romany site and this is apparently what the sub committee members want to happen.
The indication from the highest levels at WBC, is that the strict terms and spirit of the restrictive covenant- to keep the Romany as public open space- will be upheld by the council and any planning will be refused for the private nursery or any other development. But this will require public opposition to the proposals
WBC would not wish to be the first London Council to fall foul of the Localism Act. This would be a National issue (not 3rd page of the local Guardian) and would potentially receive scrutiny from the highest political levels.
So, if you believe that the developer will not receive planning consent and the tennis club members still vote for the proposal to develop the Romany, they will effectively be losing £50k.
What was said at the public meeting is that a vote to support the developer is a vote against the community of young parents and children in the area. This will alienate both the tennis club and tennis club members from the community.
To support the developer and not the community is a massive miscalculation by the sub committee.
It would also be a good idea if tennis club members could find out for themselves what the true uses of the Romany site are and who benefits from it.
At present they have a picture of Nimby neighbours and money grabbing scouts who are unwilling to pay a market rent and who are pocketing rent from sub-tenants -the phrase "stealing money from the tennis club" has been used in some more emotive exchanges.
The representations made by the tennis club to WBC when attempting to get the Asset of Community Value restriction lifted (to ease the way for development of the whole site) Please read these as they totally undermine the picture presented to the tennis club membership to date.
(We acquired this document under the freedom of information act and
have attached it to this update- )
By the way, the publishing of this report was the first indication that the scouts had that the tennis club were actually opposing their lease renewal. Prior to this they had received sporadic responses and a bizarre request to discuss the renewal of their lease with the developer (who as yet is still not their landlord).
The scouts have properly served notice to renew their lease and the tennis club have failed to challenge any of the proposed terms within the required statutory time period. Effectively the club are fettered with having to grant a renewal on the same terms as before- save at a market rent which the scouts have offered. By selling to the developer, he will now be left with this task.
So, we must ensure that tennis club members are not unduly influenced by mis-information and are properly informed as to recent events and who actually uses the site and invite them to explore the users themselves and to make up their own minds about whether the wider community actually uses the site and should continue to use it.
The tennis club bought the Romany site for a song in the 1970's - as it already had the scouts on a long lease on half the plot and the restrictive covenant prevented use and any development over the whole plot.
The numbers of people who use the site weekly is difficult to quantify. However most are non profit charities. eg Scouts 180, Twins Club 420, Playhouse Playgroup 200, dance groups 40, childrens weekend party venue 1000's.
The developers proposals would put a stop to this..
This was confirmed by Ali Adam when she told WBC that the tennis club were in consultations with the developer and that the
whole site was to be redeveloped and that the scouts lease renewal would be "strenuously resisted". At most the tennis club would be given a 5 year term - to allow full development of the site. Her representations make interesting reading and expose the clubs (?) eagerness to pave the way for eviction of existing charitable and community users and for development of the site -again, see attached ACV report from WBC and compare with postings on MPLTC website.
The scout hut was built in the 1960's. It is a basic concrete panel, bolt together construction with virtually no insulation. Heating bills alone are horrendous but without substantial investment there is little that can be done save to upgrade to more efficient heaters, secondary glazing etc New drains have been installed, the toilets modernised, a baby changing area installed, the buildings have been rewired, new energy efficient lighting installed, new flooring; the Explorers hut has been modernised but the kitchen area, well it needs total replacement. It haemorrhages money.
But investment in the buildings is only part of the picture. There are running costs associated with scouting- regular outings, equipment, training etc. The scouts have been diligent with their finances.
Consequently, other community groups have been allowed to use the facilities at nominal rents- rents that do not even cover heating costs alone, let alone dilapidations. Investment has been made where it is required but many projects have been put on hold with the uncertainty created by the tennis clubs deliberate delaying tactics (read- refusal) to renew the scouts lease.
So, please take a few minutes to get the real facts.
To be fair to the developer, he did appear to be shocked by the response he received at the public meeting. Has he been duped by the Tennis club into making an offer without all the facts? Is that why the conditional deal was signed in such an unseemly and some suggest, an obscene haste immediately before the public meeting- when there was a risk of dirty laundry being aired?
Here is a full list of current weekly Romany Site users website links;
http://www.1stwandsworthscouts.org.uk/
http://www.playhouseplaygroup.org/
http://www.wandsworthtwinsclub.org.uk/
http://www.trefoilguild.co.uk/
http://deborahjayneschoolofdance.co.uk/
http://www.singandsign.com/classes/clas ... aynes-park
http://artyparty.co.uk/about.htm
