The 71st year of the North London Netball League's presence in Palmers Green might herald a (literally) brighter future for netball in our part of the capital, or it could be the League's final season - it all hangs on a vote that will be taken at next month's meeting of Enfield's planning committee. Your voice too might help sway the committee members in favour of granting planning permission for an upgrade to the courts which has the full support of the Friends of Broomfield Park.
Floodlighting
Back in November PGC reported that Enfield Council had been awarded a second pot of money to refurbish the courts in Broomfield Park - £100,000 from Sport England to add to a £150,000 grant from the London Marathon Trust, to be spent on resurfacing the courts and installing floodlighting. Without the resurfacing, the League - with more than 80 teams and over a thousand players - will no longer be able to function.
Normally, a planning application for this sort of work would not need to go before the planning committee, but because the it was made by the council itself, approval by the committee is mandatory. A further complication is that the upgrade includes the installation of floodlighting to allow play to continue into the late afternoon in winter, and as Broomfield Park is a Grade II listed asset and an area of metropolitan open land, there are sensitivities about this.
7 votes to 3 in favour of deferral
The application went before the committee on 21st May, but instead of approving it the members voted 7 to 3 to defer a decision, on the grounds that "evidence was not available in respect of existing or projected usage and need for tennis and netball at the sports courts" or to "demonstrate the need for the sports and the hours of operation to support an exceptional case for the floodlighting in this Metropolitan Open Land and historic park".
The application goes before the committee for a second time on 7th July. The documentation now includes an addendum supplying information about usage of the courts and about how the facilities contribute towards the council's policies and plans for sports. Also included is a representation in favour from the Friends of Broomfield Park, who note that
The netball courts along with the clubhouse, a community orchard, conservatory and Palmers Green Community Café form a central and thriving hub within the park. The community are greatly involved with any sporting activities within the park, which is central to the constitutional objectives of the FoBP in helping to improve the Park to meet the needs of users as well as considering its impact on the local environment.
Call to lobby councillors
A post on Facebook by the North London Netball League calls on residents to lobby councillors in favour of the scheme:
The ward councillors for Southgate Green, Daniel Anderson, Anne Brown and Claire Stewart, have been working with us all along, but the park sits on the boundary between three wards, so we need to garner support from the Palmers Green ward councillors, Tim Leaver, Mary Maguire and Ahmet Oykener, and Winchmore Hill ward councillors, Maria Alexandrou, Ian Barnes and Dinah Barry.
"We're also asking you to copy in the London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, and Deputy Mayor for London, Joanne McCartney. She is a regular at the park because her daughter plays here but she probably doesn't know how close we are to losing the courts.
Two of the local councillors listed are members of the planning committee - Tim Leaver (who seconded the proposal to defer the decision at the earlier meeting) and Maria Alexandrou.
The suggested text and addressee list is reproduced below.
North London Netball League: Suggested email in favour of the project to refurbish the Broomfield Park netball courts
Broomfield Park Court Refurbishment - Planning Reference 19/04345/RE4
I am writing to register my support for the planning application being heard on 7th July for the installation of floodlights to the netball courts in Broomfield Park.
Without the floodlights and the refurbishment of the netball courts there is a real danger that netball will no longer be played in the park. For 70 years, on alternate Saturdays from September to April the North London Netball League provides the opportunity for over 800 women and girls of all ages, all abilities and from all ethnic backgrounds to take part in a team sport. North London Netball League Saturdays are special days and the friendships and team spirit that has been developed over the years is a fantastic experience.
We urge you to support this application so that netball will continue to thrive in Enfield and with the work to the courts, provide a first class facility to enable us to put in place plans to increase participation across age groups.
Suggested addressees:
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