Details
Petition: Vine Road Recreation Ground – Further Community Consultation on the Final Proposals We, the undersigned, call on Richmond Council to facilitate further meaningful consultation with Barnes residents, particularly those living closest to Vine Road Recreation Ground, on the scale, design and location of the proposed community hub and skatepark before the redevelopment proposals are determined. We support investment in and improvements to Vine Road Recreation Ground. However, we are concerned that the community support being cited for the current planning application largely relates to earlier consultations and earlier versions of the proposals, rather than the final scheme now before the Council. In particular: * The Community Hub: The Statement of Community Involvement records that neighbouring residents raised concerns in 2024 about the scale of the proposed hub and that these concerns were “allayed when they understood it was to be single storey”. The final planning application now proposes a substantially larger building, reaching approximately 7.88 metres in height. Residents should have a meaningful opportunity to consider and comment on the scale, design and impact of the building now proposed. * The Skatepark: The proposed skatepark represents a significant new use close to neighbouring homes. Residents should be properly consulted on its location, scale, design, hours of use and potential noise and amenity impacts, and on whether these impacts can be appropriately mitigated. The widely cited 89.2% support for the project comes from a 2021 survey in which 240 people responded about an earlier masterplan. The initial 2019 consultation, attended by around 80 people, was expressly based on proposals described as “conceptual rather than specific”. Those consultations demonstrate support for improving Vine Road Recreation Ground, but they should not automatically be treated as community endorsement of every element of the final planning application. This is particularly important because Vine Road Recreation Ground is Metropolitan Open Land, where the scale, character and impact of new development require careful consideration. What we are asking Richmond Council to do We are not petitioning against improvements to Vine Road Recreation Ground. We are asking Richmond Council, as both landowner and Local Planning Authority, to ensure that the community-led approach described for this project continues through its final and most important stage. Before the proposals are determined, we ask the Council to facilitate meaningful engagement with local residents on the final design, scale and impacts of the community hub and skatepark, and to ensure that the views of those most directly affected are properly heard and considered. A community-led project should be informed by the community’s views on the development that is actually proposed today.
Started by: Sarah Strachan
Rejection Reason
Under the Council's Petitions Scheme, we are unable to accept Petitions that relate to current planning applications.
