From the applicant's Design & Access Statement:PRE-APPLICATION DISCUSSIONS5.1 In June 2018 an informal pre-application meeting was held with the Council’s Parks and PlanningDepartments to discuss the new floodlit playing pitches and associated changing pavilion and kiosk. Bothdepartments were supportive of the proposals subject to neighbouring residential amenity issues beingsuitably addressed. The Council also encouraged a public consultation exercise prior to the submission of theapplication.6.0 PUBLIC CONSULTATION6.1 A public consultation event was held at Park Lodge on Wednesday 18 July 2018 between 5:30pm and 7:30pmto allow residents the opportunity to comment on the proposals. The exhibition was advertised by way of asite notice erected at the entrance points into the Park displayed one week prior to the meeting.6.2 Approximately 15 people attended the exhibition including the local Resident’s Association. 9 peoplerecorded their comments on the comment form made available at the meeting while others were given theopportunity to take the forms away and complete, but none were received following the exhibition. The keycomments made during the exhibition were:Planning, Design & Access Statement - North Acton Playing Fields, Noel Road, Acton, W3 0JF6Existing Use• Despite this being a public park, the tennis courts are not often available for use by members of thepublic;• Residents complained that when they do try and book via the telephone number or website theyeither can’t get through or are told the courts are not available;• When a resident spoke to the Council they were informed that at least one tennis court shouldalways be available for public use as this is part of the lease;• 2 tennis courts have already been lost to football so it’s imperative that at least one be madeavailable for public use, particularly in school holidays and on weekends;• The availability of the courts should be clearly stated on the website and on the advertisementsaround the site as its unclear if they are publicly available or not;• The existing signage is mostly in Japanese, making other residents feel isolated;• There is a lack of toilets in the park and ideally the toilets in the Lodge should be made publiclyaccessible;• The current operation feels like a private tennis club where residents are excluded;• At present, as soon as the tennis operator leaves, the courts are left empty and locked up, soresidents are unable to use them.Applicant’s Response to These Comments- The courts are available for hire on a pay and play basis unless they are being used for scheduledcoaching and can be booked on-line or via the telephone number advertised on the notice boards atthe site;- Nevertheless, the tennis club operator will be contacted to make sure the on-line booking system isworking and that the courts are always made available for public use when not being used forcoaching;- It was agreed that any new signage and the content on the website would all be in English andJapanese as they are an inclusive club and welcome all members of the community with over 23languages spoken by members of the existing Football Club, reflecting this diversity.
Libby Kemp ● 2540d