A proposal to use most of Chiltern Drive Playing Field for an expansion of Spalding Cemetery has been challenged by a national children’s play charity, giving residents campaigning against the plan a fresh boost.
Play England chief executive Eugene Minogue has backed objectors who fear the proposal would remove a large part of a playing field used by children and young people for football, informal play and recreation.
South Holland District Council has revisited the cemetery proposal 10 years after its previous application was rejected by the Planning Committee. That earlier plan attracted objections from Sport England because of the loss of the recreational amenity.
What the latest cemetery proposal involves
The council is seeking to address the previous objection by retaining part of Chiltern Drive Playing Field for play and by acquiring land around a 30-minute walk away on the Wygate Park Estate.
Residents living nearby who opposed the 2015 application have vowed to continue fighting the latest proposal. Their concerns centre on the amount of playing-field space that would be lost and whether land elsewhere would genuinely replace the facilities and informal opportunities currently available close to their homes.
In correspondence with the campaigners, Mr Minogue said national planning policy had strengthened since the earlier proposals were considered. He also questioned the council’s description of the site as “open amenity land” and its statement that the “existing play area” would remain unaffected.
“However, the information I have seen indicates that the wider field has historically been used by children and young people for football, informal play and recreation.”
He pointed to Sport England’s previous objection, which recorded evidence of junior football use dating back to at least 1999. Sport England objected at that time because the loss of the playing field was not being replaced.
Questions over Wygate replacement land
The council’s reference to potentially acquiring 2.64 acres of land at Wygate has not resolved the charity’s concerns. Play England said it would need to be clear whether the land was being formally proposed as replacement provision for the loss of Chiltern Drive Playing Field.
If it is intended as replacement space, the charity said the proposal would need to meet relevant planning-policy tests covering quantity, quality, location and accessibility for the community that currently uses the field.
“A general increase in open space elsewhere in Spalding is not automatically equivalent replacement for the loss of an established local play and recreation space.”
The charity’s argument is that children’s play is not limited to areas containing fixed equipment. Informal parts of playing fields can provide places where children meet friends, kick a ball, cycle, explore and play independently.
Play England said safe, accessible spaces near children’s homes form part of the social infrastructure of communities and should not be treated as expendable simply because they do not contain fixed play equipment.
Council response awaited
The Spalding and South Holland Voice asked South Holland District Council whether it wanted to respond to Mr Minogue’s comments. No response had been received when the newspaper went to press.
The dispute therefore remains focused on whether the revised cemetery scheme would adequately protect local recreation, and whether the proposed Wygate land would be a suitable and accessible replacement for the playing-field space used by the Chiltern Drive community.