Bowls Greens, Clapham Common West Side SW4 9AN
Submission to Wandsworth Borough Council
Added on: 15 November 2021
Comment on a planning application – 2021/4506
Application: 2021/4506
Comment on a planning application
Address: Bowls Greens, Clapham Common West Side SW4 9AN
Proposal: Alterations to bowls greens to create landscaped putting greens including landscaping and installation of water feature.
Comments Made By: Battersea Society Dr. Clare Graham
Address: 117 Latchmere Road, London
Type of comment: Object to the proposal
The Battersea Society objects to this application, on the following grounds:
A commercial development of this kind would not be an appropriate use of protected common land.
It would involve a loss of public open space. Only paying customers would have access to the new greens.
It would damage and degrade a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Living grass would be replaced with imported hardcore and plastic grass, produced from fossil fuels. The heavy carbon footprint associated with the initial construction would not be adequately offset by the new plantings shown, or by other sustainability measures.
We would also remind Wandsworth Council that the site is part of a designated sports facility for public use, and the existing bowling greens are a registered Asset of Community Value. Lambeth Council may have allowed them to fall into neglect, but the potential loss of a sport facility to leisure use remains an issue of concern. Has Sport England been consulted?
We would also question the validity of the submitted application, which remains very sketchy in certain important respects. Specifically, we would have expected to see:
A comprehensive Design and Access Statement, providing information about impact on the surrounding area and movement to and from the site and around it, to include cyclists and pedestrians and cycle parking. We are aware too that many local residents have concerns about the potential increase in car traffic and demand for parking.
A viable Method Statement for construction, and lists of materials to be used.
Much more demonstration of concern for sustainability, throughout and beyond the lifespan of the facility. This should have included: the rationale behind the proposed planting (mainly ornamental and non-native); an offer to offset the project's carbon footprint by planting and development elsewhere on the Common; details of sustainable future management practices, e.g. use of renewable energy and water harvesting; estimated lifespan of materials, and how they would be renewed/ recycled/ removed, during and beyond the fifteen-year lease period.
Clare Graham
Chair, Open Spaces Committee Battersea Society
