Pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre may be replaced by a new housing development.
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Over the past week, former England star, Les Ferdinand, has come out in support of locals who are protesting against the proposed closure of football pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre.
Islington Council are planning to replace the pitches with apartment blocks. However, the campaign group, EC1VOICES, with the support of Les Ferdinand, has raised opposition to these proposals
He highlighted the energy that local children expend at these football pitches, and raised concerns over youngsters ending up standing on ‘street corners’ if the pitches are destroyed.
Locals also raised their concerns. One told City News that ‘when you live in a concrete jungle, these are our greenery’, and then went on to claim that the area needs these pitches ‘desperately’, as it’s ‘all we’ve got’.
Islington Council, though, maintain that the redevelopment of the area will benefit the community.
Councillor Phil Graham, the Independent Councillor for Bunhill Ward, told City News that 90% of people who come to his surgeries each month are complaining about housing. He believes that building new apartment blocks will help alleviate this problem. As well as providing new homes, Councillor Graham also mentioned that the plans will provide a new medical centre, and green space.
A key argument that Islington Council has used in favour of the proposals is that they will build 4 FA approved rooftop pitches. However, Eamon Gatley, the Chairman of the City of London Football Club, believes this isn’t an adequate replacement.
He has concerns about the pitches being the last thing to be built, that they’ll be smaller, and also less accessible. He believes that it will result in the City of London Football Club, a youth club who use the pitches, having to reduce its size. Mr Gatley described his club as a ‘gang of footballers’, but suggested that without the pitches these children will ‘join the streets and be a gang themselves’
These thoughts were echoed by the London Playing Fields Foundation. The CEO, Alex Welsh, spoke of the importance of sport. He said that it is ‘much better for society at large if young people join teams rather than gangs’, but that ‘without a pitch to play on there is no sport’.
Objections to the plans to redevelop the area and demolish the football pitches can be submitted to Islington Council until 5pm on Friday 29th November. A decision will then be made on the space in the near future.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineLes Ferdinand supports locals’ fight to save Islington football pitches
Short HeadlineFight to save Islington pitches
StandfirstLocals have been protesting against Islington Council's Plans to redevelop Finsbury Leisure Centre and demolish the existing football pitches.
Over the past week, former England star, Les Ferdinand, has come out in support of locals who are protesting against the proposed closure of football pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre.
Islington Council are planning to replace the pitches with apartment blocks. However, the campaign group, EC1VOICES, with the support of Les Ferdinand, has raised opposition to these proposals
He highlighted the energy that local children expend at these football pitches, and raised concerns over youngsters ending up standing on ‘street corners’ if the pitches are destroyed.
Locals also raised their concerns. One told City News that ‘when you live in a concrete jungle, these are our greenery’, and then went on to claim that the area needs these pitches ‘desperately’, as it’s ‘all we’ve got’.
Islington Council, though, maintain that the redevelopment of the area will benefit the community.
Councillor Phil Graham, the Independent Councillor for Bunhill Ward, told City News that 90% of people who come to his surgeries each month are complaining about housing. He believes that building new apartment blocks will help alleviate this problem. As well as providing new homes, Councillor Graham also mentioned that the plans will provide a new medical centre, and green space.
A key argument that Islington Council has used in favour of the proposals is that they will build 4 FA approved rooftop pitches. However, Eamon Gatley, the Chairman of the City of London Football Club, believes this isn’t an adequate replacement.
He has concerns about the pitches being the last thing to be built, that they’ll be smaller, and also less accessible. He believes that it will result in the City of London Football Club, a youth club who use the pitches, having to reduce its size. Mr Gatley described his club as a ‘gang of footballers’, but suggested that without the pitches these children will ‘join the streets and be a gang themselves’
These thoughts were echoed by the London Playing Fields Foundation. The CEO, Alex Welsh, spoke of the importance of sport. He said that it is ‘much better for society at large if young people join teams rather than gangs’, but that ‘without a pitch to play on there is no sport’.
Objections to the plans to redevelop the area and demolish the football pitches can be submitted to Islington Council until 5pm on Friday 29th November. A decision will then be made on the space in the near future.
