Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

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LineBall Tennis/Siva
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Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby LineBall Tennis/Siva » Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:14 pm

Some local residents may be aware that Lambeth Council and its stakeholders are primarily considering alternative uses of the referenced bowling greens. Currently, Lambeth Council manage the bowling green and tennis facility (which is now awaiting Cabinet approval for transferring management to GLL - Better, a not-for-profit outsource company), but have now indicated bowling green is too costly and only had revenues of £3,000 last year. The dedicated up-keeper / groundsman of the greens has also been retired.

This bottom-line rationale is a poor reason for closing a local municipal facility, that is especially valuable for elderly people, and young summer revellers alike. Also for the ambience around Clapham Common Westside. The provincialism known as "gentrification" of inner London means such facilities are INDEED recognisable to residing youngsters and the existing elderly residents etc for use. Lambeth Council will have closed ALL its bowling greens with this venue's closure - though the land is in the Planning Permission domain of Wandsworth Council. The other Wandsworth Common has thriving bowling greens.

This closure would also be a reflection of poor politics as Tory-run Wandsworth Council thriving but Labour-run Lambeth struggling to manage and fund facilities / services. Closure is an indictment of the Labour management. 

I have written to the Management Advisory Committee of Clapham Common as a committee member for continuity of a bowling green (as attached below). I am hoping local interested residents will also concisely write to: sports@lambeth.gov.uk protesting.

Thank you,
Krishna Siva

LetterTo_BowlingGreen.png
 
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juliantenniscoach
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby juliantenniscoach » Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:29 pm

I agree wholeheartedly with what you've written here.  It's a reflection of over a decade of lack of vision, ambition and investment in what should be a showcase of a public sporting facility.  The bowls itself has declined as the popularity of the resident bowling clubs failed to replace members.  Perhaps there is only the need for one well maintained bowls green?  But throughout last summer it was always well used by young people throughout the weekend and there is surely demand to support one green.

For the other green, some of us have repeated suggested that it be converted to an all weather surface which could be used by Playball during the day, thus freeing up 2 sometimes 3 tennis courts for hire.  Then they could be for other sports such as hockey, mini-tennis, touchtennis all of which could be used to raise income.  One point is that the ten's of thousands of pounds raised in tennis court fees have not been ringfenced, and disappear into Lambeth somewhere.  You only need to take a look at the pavilion and toilets to see that investment has been miserly at best.

Please support the CCMAC in securing the future of a bowling green and a positive, planned future for the facility as a whole.
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LineBall Tennis/Siva
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby LineBall Tennis/Siva » Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:39 am

Thank you for your support on the matter of saving the CC Westside bowling green. You've made excellent additional points about ringfencing revenue, state of toilets & revenue-raising. I will convey ideas to CCMAC if you haven't already.

If we fail to act on a local loss of conservatorship we might as well forget bigger global issues like loss of environment & climate.

Again thanks.
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HeathHeise
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby HeathHeise » Wed Jul 01, 2020 3:22 pm

Running past the Clapham Common bowling greens, it saddens me that these now lay fallow. I was interested to see your messages in April of 2019. Does anyone have a current update on their status or proposed future? Thanks much
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LineBall Tennis/Siva
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby LineBall Tennis/Siva » Fri Aug 21, 2020 4:13 pm

Hello HeathHeise,

 I posted the original message out of concern for the disuse and discontinuity of the bowling greens - very saddened! and subsequent re-designation for leasing of the space to commercial management by "Putting In The Park", or for crazy-golf purposes.

The plans were drawn-up by the the Putting In The Park venture and accepted by Lambeth Council, and re-development of the Pavillion club-house for use as a licensed restaurant was supposed to have started but for Covid-19 reasons. I understand from Clapham common Management Adfvsory Committee - CCMAC, the alcohol licensing is being applied via Wandsworth Council CURRENTLY.

The crazy-golf and restaurant were the only proposals on the table, and suggestions for re-development of the bowling-greens were turned down, as there had been little use. Which is a circular argument considering the poor condition or sell-by-date of turf of the bowling green; despite best efforts of a dedicated groundsman - who I believe took redundancy.

As Covid-19 and "essential" nature of open-spaces have highlighted, bowling-greens should be conserved; but the political-will and reasons of austerity for cuts in Council funding, has it that sadly a new purpose be found.

Regards
Krishna
Local Tennis Coach &
Committee Meber of Friends of Clapham Common, and CCMAC
07926 178734
 
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby LineBall Tennis » Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:27 am

[b]Bowling Green Pavilion - Planning Re-Designation by Wandsworth Council [/b]

Write in to Consultation by 28th October 2020 - Hurry! Search "[b]Plannning application for Pavillion 2020/2536"[/b]

I hope residents living around the Clapham Common green space, will object strongly, or indeed otherwise, to the re-designation of the Bowling Green Pavilion: [b]"Change of use from D2 Pavilion to A3 - Restaurants and cafes"[/b]. I and a few other residents expressed concern in April 2019 when I posted original note [url=viewtopic.php?f=197&t=102634]Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure[/url].

My objection to the whole idea of crazy-golf articulated as “Putting In The Park” is simple. I for one really [b]do not want a part the common land belonging to generations of past and present taxpayers hived-off / leased to private enterprise to run and manage for profit, or even for non-profit impetus. [/b]It simple because its says so on the tin; its in the name of our park “Clapham Common”. “Common” land for us, the locals and residents.

From that over-arching principle – we do still have them in this fair but firm land – many arguments for and against re-designation from bowling-green facility to crazy-golf can and has been made surely. From a political perspective, [b]Lambeth Council have conceded they do not have the financial budget to manage and operate lawn-bowling outdoors without loss of income [/b](instead its offering one indoor carpet bowling in Brixton). Lambeth officialdom of Councillors and managers have also got rid off lawn bowling greens in nearby Brockwell Park. Yet Tory / Conservative managed council Wandsworth, through outsourced “Enable” maintain lawn-bowling facilities at two of its centres on Wandsworth Common and St Georges Park, I believe.

So the falacious argument that bowling is in poor demand by gentle Wandsworth residents is NOT the over-riding reason, but that Lambeth maintained the bowling green in poor state i.e. did not resurface the lawn but paid one groundsman “Steve” c.£30k annually for its up-keep, toiling against the odds. Therefore [b]serious bowling-enthusiasts did not use Clapham Common bowling, [/b]only occasional young revellers with their beer-bottles in hand used facility. That the moribund state Lambeth managed the facility towards. The rationale for bowling-green re-designation should not be Lambeth management incompetency. And its adjunct implication of wasted taxpayer funds.

 [Towards joined-up-thinking it should be here noted that Lambeth Council taxpayers have allocated £210,000 to re-surface a large chunk of the Northside of the Common in preparation for commercial “events”, with tougher grass (less conducive to fauna) and better drainage – when two bowling greens couldn’t be re-surfaced and operated. Who would have thought it! [b]Labour-controlled Lambeth Council seems to have Tory aspirations towards capitalism too![/b]]

The above was only eloaborating on the political perspective allied to Council finances which would seem to dictate this planning-application of use from its original intended purpose. [b]“Conservatism” seems dead from local political-powers, that of conserving benefit for the future residents and taxpayers[/b].

[b]Other Principal Considerations:[/b] 
1. Covid19 / pandemic has highlighted necessity of PRESERVING public open-spaces sports like bowling
2. Wandsworth residents will be SUBSIDIZING Lambeth taxpayers
3. Change to a restaurant from sports-purpose usually accomodates an ALCOHOL license
4. Idyllic corner of Clapham Common Westside will become SUPER-CHARGED in nature
5. Astro-turf crazy-golf features is insulting to GREEN-ENVIRONMENT trends
Etcetera

Posted by local resident of 40+ years, and now [b]Clapham Common tennis-coach and activist Krishna Siva[/b], please contact me by reply for further information. :shock: :o :mrgreen:
 
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LineBall Tennis/Siva
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Re: Clapham Common Westside Bowling Green Closure

Postby LineBall Tennis/Siva » Thu Nov 26, 2020 1:46 pm

Yesterday 26th Nov.20 #Wandsworth Council Planning rejected permission to re-designate the old bowling green pavilion to cafe / restaurant at Clapham Common Westside... LineBall are happy. Now serious work begins to lobby for what we want as a sports amenity, not leisure pursuit as crazy-golf.
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