We Asked, You Said, We Did

We asked:

We asked you to share your views on an initial draft masterplan for West Hendon Playing Fields and Associated Community Facilities. This initial draft masterplan had been informed by the feedback received through the first phase of public engagement held in Summer 2018 where we had asked you what you would most like to see on the site. In this latest online engagement exercise, undertaken between 5 November to 2 December 2018, we asked you specifically for your views on the following:

· The facilities proposed within the initial draft masterplan

· The layout and location of the proposed facilities within the initial draft masterplan

· Any comments you may have on the overall initial draft masterplan.

You said:

We received 98 responses to the online engagement exercise. 86% of respondents said they were either supportive or very supportive of the initial draft masterplan and 8% said they were either unsupportive or very unsupportive. Of the proposed indoor facilities, the most popular were the café and multi-use activity space and of the proposed outdoor facilities, improved pedestrian and cycle routes, woodland nature trail, community garden, picnic areas, tennis courts and play areas all scored highly. Less well supported facilities included the skatepark, the artificial turf pitches and the high ropes course.

83% of respondents said they were either supportive or very supportive of the location and layout of the proposed facilities within the initial draft masterplan and 14% said they were either unsupportive or very unsupportive. Some people felt that the proximity of the proposed tennis courts, skatepark and high ropes course to areas of particular ecological interest was inappropriate.

A number of concerns were raised about the potential impact of the proposed developments on local ecology, specifically in relation to areas of the wider site which are designated as a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). You expressed a desire to balance any development with the protection of the wildlife, flora and fauna on the wider site. You also said it was important to consider the impact upon parking and traffic movement as a result of new facilities.

We did:

The results of this further engagement were used to inform a review of the initial draft masterplan and to identify any required amendments. Taking account of the feedback received, a number of changes have been made in developing a final version of the draft masterplan. These include enlarging the proposed nursery provision within the Community Sports Hub and relocating the tennis courts and skatepark further away from the SSSI and LNR. In addition, a ‘softening’ of the proposed new car park on Cool Oak Lane through use of a natural surface finish and additional planting have been included in the final version of the draft masterplan.

The final draft masterplan will form the subject of a report to the meeting of the Council’s Environment Committee on 14 March 2019 seeking approval to undertake a full public consultation on the final draft masterplan.