Enfield’s plans for Whitewebbs Park unlawful, we say

We have written to Enfield Council to say we believe their plans to lease a large section of the park to Tottenham Hotspur are unlawful, and that we intend to enforce the rights of the public to make use of the land.

On 3 November we wrote along with the Friends of Whitewebbs Park and Enfield RoadWatch to Enfield Council stating we believe the leasing of over half of Whitewebbs Park to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club to build a football academy is unlawful because the land is held for the public for recreation. We have said we collectively intend to enforce the rights of the public to make use of the land for recreation and will take legal action if necessary.

We set out in our Letter to Enfield Council why we believe the proposal to lease the land to Tottenham Hotspur will not stand up in court, saying:

1. It will not be for “recreational” or “public use” (under the 1967 Order).
2. It will have demanding screening requirements excluding the vast majority of the community.
3. It will significantly restrict public access to a large percentage of the park.
4. It will be largely owned and run for the sole benefit of a commercial sports corporation.

Sean Wilkinson of the Friends of Whitewebbs Park said: “The proposed sports academy will primarily be run for the purposes of contributing to the commercial success of the club. It will no longer be a public park. It’s that simple. Covid has brought home to all of us how important our open spaces are for the mental and physical well-being of the whole community and Whitewebbs is a busy park every day of the week with people of all ages enjoying space and the natural environment.”

Alice Roberts of CPRE London said: “We are extremely concerned that we’re seeing threats to parks all over London so we are now helping local groups access legal support to ensure they have the best chance of saving London’s parks for generations to come. We are also supporting local campaigners fighting to save Wimbledon Park in Merton, West Ham Park in Newham and Greendale Park in Southwark, for example. It is hard to believe it is often left to local groups to fight these battles but this is unfortunately how it is.”

We also say in our letter to Enfield Council:

1. Whitewebbs Park is public trust land.
2. Legislation states that the land is to be used as open space and for public recreational activities.
3. The land and the recreational activities should be open to all. The only exceptions are for public safety and the land’s preservation.
4. While reasonable charges can be made for recreational facilities, these should not be set so high that the public cannot afford them (the former public golf course was an example of this with its concessionary rates, twilight sessions and lack of membership requirements).
5. People should not be barred from these recreational activities by selection procedures, tests demanding levels of skill, social status, or other discriminatory barriers.

We have also written to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club so they are aware of the correspondence with Enfield Council. Letter to THFC.

If you are interested in the legal aspects of the case, the historic documents to which we refer in the letters are:

• 1 Draft of 1932 lease
• 2 Letter from Enfield to Middlesex re appropriation of playing field land to s164 PHA 1875 dated 09.11.37
• 3 From CC to MoH re plans for WW 23.04.1931
• 4 From MoH to CC re purchase of WW 20.03.31

Friends of Whitewebbs Park, Enfield RoadWatch