- Reference: 2021/1145
- Question by: Nicky Gavron
- Meeting date: 18 March 2021
There is a vast amount of privately owned green space in London, much of which is there for public amenity, for example, sports fields. However, CPRE London reports that many fields are being deliberately fenced off, stopping pitches from being booked, removing public access and allowing the land to become derelict, with a view to applying for planning permission once five years has passed and Sport England can no longer challenge them. What policy and legal levers are there to challenge private landowners to keep the fields in use for sports, where relevant, and open for public amenity more generally?