Drapers Field astro turf is gone for good and Chobham Academys new astro turf will be set in the London Borough of Waltham Forest on the other side of the train tracks opposite Drapers Field with predominant use for the Chobham Academy.

This is an extract of a conversation I had with a local councillor spring 2010.

Councillor - "What we have got planned for Drapers Field (Drapers Field is a random run down field) we want to turn it into a proper community park with park facilities including keeping the field there. We don't want to get rid of the field."

I asked - "You're talking about keeping the artificial turf?"

Councillor - No, we won't be keeping that because we don't need to and the reason we don't need to.....the plan at the moment is not to keep that because just over the bridge there is going to be a new school built that's going to have loads of artificial pitches. So we are taking advantage of getting that space back to turn it into a proper green park."

Proof of conversation exists.

I believe this is in the public interest.

Especially when the council say that Drapers Fields return from the ODA will be subject to consultation when I contacted the ODA

The ODA planning decisions team has told me(12/07/10 at 15.56 ) that under normal circumstances when the ODA no longer need to use a piece of land they would, in accordance with the contract, return it as it originally was or in an improved state.

However, Waltham Forest Council has yet to decide how they want Drapers Field returned. They are to carry out a consultation and then decide what to do. Having said that, the local councillors seem determined to persuade residents to have a “lovely park”. 

 Consultation in this borough is a joke, and not a funny one either more on this on the consultation page of this site.



The new astro turf at Chobham Academy Playing Fields will be available for public use outside school hours 38 hours per week. This means evenings and weekends during term time with 98 hours per week available during school holidays. Therefore Norlington School who use Drapers Field astro turf four days a week will be unable to use these new facilities. If Drapers Field astro turf is not returned after the Olympics Norlington School will not have this option either. It is proposed to allow Norlington school to use the Score Centre in the run up to the olympics. No one knows what will happen after this time.

My understanding of this is:

98 hours per week in school holidays works out to 14 hours per day, perhaps 7am to 9pm.

38 hours per week during school terms using the same principal as above for Saturdays and Sundays would leave 10 hours per week during Monday to Friday. This would be outside school hours and might be something like 5pm to 7pm Monday to Friday during school terms.

Chobham Academy MOL-Transport-Note-Issue states:



1.1.6 The Section 106 agreement relating to the outline planning permission for

Stratford City requires the Playing Fields Management Plan to provide for the use of

the playing fields as follows:

_ During school hours (08:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 13:00 on

Saturdays) for exclusive use for the education provider; and

_ Outside school hours for the use by Members of the public with priority afforded to

residents of the ODA’s area and residents of the London Borough of Waltham Forest

(LBWF).

1.1.7 On the 16 December 2004, LBWF granted outline planning consent for the

laying out of playing fields (2003/0250/OUT). The proposals straddle the borough

boundary with LB Newham (LBN), which runs down the centre of Temple Mill Lane,

so the proposals were also approved by LBN (LPA Ref: P/03/0658). Both consents

reserved all matters for future determination, with a layout plan submitted with the

proposals for illustrative purposes only which included 26 car parking spaces.



 In the home page sub menu on the right hand side you will find the pdf documents that support this.

Changing rooms are not on site at Chobham Academy where as at Drapers Field changing rooms are on site.

Page 114 of The Stratford City, London
Zones 2-7 106 Agreement section7 states:


(C) A key objective which has been agreed in respect of the development of the Education
Campus is to ensure concurrent and duplicate use such that the Education Campus is also
available outside normal School Hours (and in particular during the evenings and at
weekends and during school holidays) and when relevant compatible with the Playing
Fields Management Plan for the benefit of the local community; and the Council has
agreed to assist in the achievement of this objective.

Chobham Academy will have predominant use with the local communitity taking second place.

I believe Sport for England are not happy with what is happening with Drapers Field. Initally the Astro Turf cost around £350,000  with a further £550,000 grant donated to LBWF for the new pavillion and upgrading of the grass pitch.

There is the equivalent of 2 and a half pitches at Drapers Field, including grass and  Astro Turf.

Drapers Field's value is in its open space, it is an oasis of calm in the poor part of the borough where adults and children alike can kick a ball and run around.

There are 2 community care homes in the area and sheltered housing opposite the field.



Figures obtained show a total of 139 people were injured and two killed in stabbings in 2010. in Waltham Forest.

I believe under the Labour party the rich got richer than ever before source of information The Times Rich List. I also believe that a lot of the aggresion we are seeing on the street and in society in general and all the stabbings etc is related to the greed we are seeing in society.

There is a book called The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett available on Amazon which gives more information along these lines.I believe in fairer societies there is less aggresion and less crime.

The Northern Olympic Fringe Masterplan says that Drapers Field area could be packaged up as a single opportunity with a disposal to the market subject to a planning framework in place.We believe that framework is now in place.

The Leader of the council has said July 2010 "we could turn it into a special park".



 UPDATE.

London Borough of Waltham Forest web site now lists planning application 2011/0623 concerning the temporary use of Drapers Field by the ODA as registered on 24/05/11. However, the application cannot be viewed on the site. How can anyone object to a planning application they can’t see?

Similarly the Environmental Impact Assessment was listed on the site but could not be seen.

UPDATE

A council officer has said that previous consultations were not the best, the first round of consultations was not well advertised, we could have advertised more widely. He said the next round we will give more notice.

• The planning application was registered on 24/05/11 but the website showed no details of the actual application. The related document section of the website contained no information. How can anyone be expected to make an informed decision either for or against the application without the necessary information.
• Mail shots concerning the planning application were received by local residents on 31^st May 2011 one week late.
• The associated documents appeared on the website on 2^nd June 2011 that is 10 days into the process.
• Signs were not displayed on the field until 3^rd June 2011.
• Comments are invited until 14/06/11.
• There has been very little publicity about the registering of the planning application and most residents are unaware that things are moving along at all.
• Waltham Forest News contains a small article on the planning application distributed on 05/06/11.
• Therefore residents will not be allowed the required 21 days to consider the application.