Mapledurham Playing Fields

Residents were consulted on four options for the future of the land and buildings and the results have been published:

Option A (complete new facilities) - 252
Option B (improved and increased changing) - 34
Option C (maintain minimum changing) - 2097
Option D (new school to provide community hall) - 499
No option selected - 68

Many who voted for Option C and those where no option was selected expressed a desire that no land should be lost. A full report was made to cabinet in January. The full report can be read here and the council's press release can be read here.

The Council have stated that funds are not available to pursue any of the other options or to refurbish the existing building which they believe has come to the end of its designed life. Many people believe this has been made worse by a lack of maintenance and that it would be a great shame to lose the facility of the hall.

The Council have accepted the results of the consultation process and are proceeding with Option C. They have requested their officers to investigate ways of delivering the scheme without the sale of any land for example through Section 106 monies and fundraising. A joint working party is also being established between the Mapledurham Playing Fields Management Committee and the User’s Committee to consider usage, funding, refurbishment, replacement hall and /or meeting rooms.

We wish them every success but funding for a hall and/or meeting rooms is a very difficult problem to overcome and it may be in the short term the best that can be hoped for is new changing rooms built, without the sale of any land, designed in such a way that further facilities could be added in the future.