Results of the local consultation on circuit path in Lyttelton Playing Fields

In early March the committee launched a consultation on a proposal for the development of a circuit path around the perimeter of Lyttelton, seeking to understand the breadth of views of local residents and park users, and to present this information to Barnet Council for their consideration.

 The consultation was widely publicised and closed at the end of April having received 362 valid submissions (with only one permitted per household) representing 1,157 individuals. All but 8, are from either N2 or NW11 postcodes.

 325 (90%) of respondents were in favour of the path proposal, with further strong support from three organisations with close ties to the park - Kerem School, Keren’s Nursery and the Residents’ Association Trees & Open Spaces committee.

 Supporters cited the increased accessibility to this public resource, especially for those in wheelchairs, with buggies or with reduced mobility, especially overwinter when much of the grass is muddy and the benefits of having a 1km measured circuit for running etc. A selection of comments from those in favour below:

●      It is wonderful space to walk round.At present as soon as grass becomes too muddy we can't use.I am disabled and mud etc.stops me using this wonderful space as my wheels keep getting stuck. We can't push  our grandchild in buggy- it also gets stuck.

●      There is so much of the park we can't access. In particular we have a child with additional needs who is often in a large buggy when we go out

●      It will make the park a better place to exercise, and discourage anti-social behaviour in the less accessible areas. It will also connect linden Lea as a better walking route , making it easier for people to commute to and from the school and synagogue on foot/ scooters

35 (10%) submissions opposed the proposal, 21 of whom live in the streets adjoining the park (though to note, 16 residents of these streets supported the proposal). A large numbers of concerns were raised by these residents, the most common of which were potential security issues, and perceived issues with noise, disturbance and anti-social behaviour. A selection of comments from those not in favour below:

●      …I don’t want to use my garden with noise of passers by walking past our garden every few minutes. We bought our house at a premium price to have quiet. We do not want this to change. For our quality of life and for our security.

●      We are already experiencing antisocial behaviour over the weekend from communities outside HGS who come and play sports in the fields but also then do barbeques and play loud music… I don't understand concerns about security - a burglar would prefer to tiptoe onto grass - they are not waiting for a paved path to break into people's houses - so that is a red herring in my view. To me it is more an issue with making the park more attractive and accesible and better known which will increase vandalism and litter

●      My family and I do not want undesirables coming to the playing fields with their skateboards, e-scooters (dangerous cause collisions) using the scooter path. We are already finding drug paraphernalia and beer bottles everyday on the bench at the Linden Lea entrance. The council is no longer picking up the rubbish and only emptying the bins, they are ignoring the rubbish and the dangerous broken glass. You mention that the outside track will be inaccessible - every year in late August/early September there are many us of families that pick the blackberries.  This implies we will no longer be able to pick the blackberries which is unacceptable in my opinion especially when there is a cost of living crisis.  In the shops blackberries are £8 per punnet.

Having considered the responses, the committee believes that the development of the path remains in the best interest of park users and the local community and that the potential issues raised by those opposed are either unfounded, can be mitigated or are not significant enough to offset the significant community benefit. Now that the cricket pitches have been marked, it is easier to visualise the route of the proposed path, which will leave a substantial margin between neighbouring gardens and the path, in many cases up to 40m. Whilst the committee understands the most significant concerns are about security and anti-social behaviour, we also note that reports and evidence of such behaviour in the park are minimal and that adjoining properties have to the best of our knowledge faced no higher rates of crime than other houses in the area and that, whilst the committee does not see this as necessary, householders can take steps to better secure their boundaries should they wish to do so.

Lyttelton is a major community asset and its usage should be encouraged and supported, with an ever increasing body of evidence on the benefits for people of all ages of spending time outdoors and connecting with nature.

As such we continue to support the development of a circuit path and have submitted a full and comprehensive report to Barnet Council for their consideration

Very rough sketch showing the potential route of circuit path (in blue), connecting to existing surfaced paths at both ends. Credit: Google Earth