An open letter to all councillors before the Scrutiny Committee meeting 17th November 2021
A copy of this letter was sent to all Enfield Councillors
The Scrutiny Committee is making a decision on Whitewebbs Park on Thursday Evening.
This decision is important and will affect the reputation of the Borough, The Council, the advising Officers and the Councillors for decades to come.
The question for you is simple – do we
- Sell off (“lease”) 150 acres of unique parkland to a multi billion dollar offshore based company (ENIC) for a derisory amount of money OR
- Look at other feasible ways of getting more income from the park, retaining it as open space for current and future generations and living up to our commitments to the environment, nature and climate action?
The Facts: (as they have been made public)
- The bid will provide LBE with a total income of £2 million over 25 years. £500,000 as an initial payment with nothing more to pay for 5 years. Thereafter there will be an annual payment of £75,000 for 20 years.
- For this Spurs / ENIC will get control of 150 acres of parkland which includes the 100 acre golf course, the Lake area and gardens, part of the woodland, all the main entrances and the car parks.
- What commitments has Spurs/ENIC made? Very little that does not directly benefit Spurs/ENIC or will be self financing.
- Restore the bridleway along the North Side of their football area – this will be part of their security/ boundary construction programme anyway.
- Wildlife corridor – next to the northern boundary and includes wetland / woodland that can’t be used for anything else.
- Restore the southern part of the golf course to 19th Century parkland and plant some trees. It is already 19th Century parkland with a very large number and variety of trees.
- Cut grass paths through the grassland – once or twice a year, a day’s work with a grass cutter.
- Plant some wildflowers around the plastic pitches.
- Improving footpaths on the leased area – well this depends on which map you go by and the exact boundaries. (Two significantly different maps are in the committee papers)
- “Subject to planning permission” improved café facilities and toilets. Self financing with a healthy margin of profit if managed properly.
Biodiversity, biodiversity and Climate action
- The designers of the course in the 1930s did a very good job of using the existing landscape and planted many trees and shrubs to enhance the natural look. The course is rich in tree species, bats, birdlife, insects, wildflowers and a wide variety of grasses. In fact, it looks like 19th Century parkland. The maintenance team retained the natural features and vegetation.
- The land designated for football pitches is not flat or level. There is a 10 metre drop between the highest and lowest parts. Huge quantities of earth will have to be bulldozed – maybe 100,000 cu metres or more. In addition thousands of cu metres of sand, gravel, soil and other construction material will have to be brought in by truck.
- A quarter of the pitches will be Astroturf, The rest will be hybrid grass with plastic reinforcement. These pitches will contribute nothing to biodiversity. Construction and plastic reinforcement will do nothing for climate improvement and will have an adverse effect on carbon reduction.
- The destruction of the 40 acres+ of mixed grassland and some established trees will deprive wildlife of feeding areas affecting birdlife, bats, birds of prey, insects and small mammals.
- Contrary to opinions expressed within the council offices this is not an engineered landscape.
This is an engineered landscape and this is what will be built.
- It is possible and worrying that the people making the recommendations for Whitewebbs Park have little or no practical knowledge of it. This may be a product of staff shortage, staff turnover, pressure of time but this is no excuse for destruction of a beautiful landscape.
- Over 80 species of bird were recorded in 2020 as were 8 species of bat. We have reports and evidence of foxes, adders, freshwater molluscs, stag beetles, muntjac and, very rarely, roe deer, rabbits, dragon flies, damsel flies, a wide variety of butterflies, many wildflowers, buzzards, hawks …………. An enormous list.
This park was bought for the people of Enfield 90 years ago so that they could enjoy recreation in a large open space. There was provision for community sport – a cricket pitch, tennis courts and a public golf course. The conditions were that when these were no longer needed the land would be returned to public open space for all to use. I challenge anyone who does not know the park to find the cricket pitch – it has rewilded.
When it was decided to close the golf course Cllr Yusuf asked the Leader if the land would be open to all to walk on and enjoy. The Leader assured him that it would be and put no time limit on this nor any conditions. (Scrutiny Committee meeting to consider the decision to close the Golf Course) This statement was in keeping with the provisions of the original 999 year lease.
The initial reason given for the marketing of the golf course (and the ancient woodland) was that it was losing money. The figures are disputed but we will let that pass. The course offered low cost sport and recreation to the public – old, young, male, female, trans with no restriction. Running costs were more or less covered, especially during the pandemic. The new facility will be restricted to a very narrow group of players.
When the decision was made to close the course in March 2021 the reason given for the marketing exercise was dead. There was no longer any valid reason for continuing, There was no longer a loss of money. Whitewebbs was no more a burden on the citizens of Enfield than any other park. In fact, with the income from the café and the social golf club not to mention the Carvery it was helping to pay for itself.
The Human Value of Whitewebbs
Whitewebbs is part of the sweep of open spaces and gardens from the A10 through to Cockfosters and beyond – Capel Manor, playing fields, Myddelton House, Forty Hall, Hilly Fields and Trent Park. Local small parks provide day to day rest and enjoyment but the Green Belt provides, for all residents, space and the freedom to walk longer distances and experience space and nature at its best and in different forms. This is why Whitewebbs Park was bought for the people 90 years ago, for their physical and mental well-being.
Why voting to progress the bid is a bad idea:
- By any objective standard this is a lousy deal for Enfield. The money is derisory and will not cover the cost of desired outcomes for the park. It will barely be enough to cover basic maintenance let alone the more ambitious spending ideas.
- Spurs, a wholly owned subsidiary of an offshore, tax haven based, multi billion dollar corporation, can afford to buy land for their projects anywhere. It is not a struggling local amateur club in need of support. Whitewebbs just happens to be a convenience for them.
- The commitments we have seen in the council and THFC documents are so weak that they cannot be taken seriously. The Council has, by its own admission, a feeble record of lease enforcement.
- It is clear that THFC/ENIC has ambitious plans for the land. However, there are no financial or contractual incentives for Spurs/ENIC to maintain or enhance park use. Quite the opposite in fact. It will probably buy up the long lease on Whitewebbs House, enclose much of the area around it for privacy and security and turn it into a hotel/ hospitality facility for players and visitors. The lease will be renegotiated and In 10 years time Whitewebbs Park will be a private estate and lawyers will negotiate a long lease or even a freehold sale.
If you vote for this bid, your legacy will a lost park, a damaged landscape and betrayed community.
There is a good alternative:
- Lease the café and old golf club building for 25 years to an experienced and enterprising business type. Good cafes and function /community rooms can be lucrative if handled properly. I have seen small park cafes in London parks going for £35,000 a year.
- Lease out the old golf course buildings, yard, car parking and storage to business users.
This will generate more income than the Spurs offer and retain the park for the community.
Sean Wilkinson
Friends of Whitewebbs Park
The scrutiny committee voted along party lines to support the bid