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Anne Marie-Duff supports fight against artificial pitches on Tooting Common
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard10.06.08
Residents are campaigning to stop artificial pitches being built on Tooting Common.
Wandsworth council plans to earn £50,000 a year by leasing out part of Tooting Triangle to developers who want to build sports facilities there.
It says the area, including a playground, needs refurbishment, which would be paid for by the developers. It also promises to add nearby Woodfield Recreation Ground to the common, increasing the total green space by 7,500 square metres.
But locals say about 12 floodlit football pitches would take away their green space, ruin a wildlife habitat and increase traffic and noise pollution. They are supported by Anne-Marie Duff, who stars in new film The Waiting Room, which features Tooting Triangle. The actress said: "You can see from the film what a lovely place it is to go for a walk. I'd be really sorry to see it disappear."
A Wandsworth spokesman said: "This part of the common is tucked away between two railway lines and has already been built on. It is home to a disused youth club, a playground and one o'clock centre, which are all in need of refurbishment. It has existing floodlit all-weather pitches and is not a grassed area."
Reader views (6)
It's clear whose interests Wandsworth have at heart, and it's certainly not the residents who use the common on a regular basis. If they really wanted to provide facilities they could simply refurbish the existing hard pitch, which is never used. The plain truth is that they want to flog off the use of common land to the highest bidder, and because the land is at the very edge of their borough they don't give two hoots about the impact on the surrounding area. I wonder why we haven't seen a similar proposal for putting 12 five a side pitches on the area of Wandsworth Common "tucked away" between a railway line and main road.
At a time when open, natural spaces are more important than ever, to build on such a wonderful area against the wishes of residents seems perverse in the extreme. And this red herring about adding to the common is fatuous, that land is already there.
Still, as long as someone is making some money, that's all that matters, eh? Let's not worry about silly things like the quality of life.
- Brandon, London
Common land should remain common land. Free for all to use. London has enough built over areas. What's wrong with playing football on grass?
- Clare, London
Wandsworth Council must have superpowers!! If they can fit the planned 10 to 12 five a side pitches into that strange little corner where the youth club, a playground, one o'clock centre and an all weather pitch exist, then they are truly mystic!! (unless they are planning some sort of 'second floor' in the sky!!).
My money says they will need to go onto the grassed bit of Triangle field, and take common land to make this little cash cow work - and they just don't want to admit it until the last minute because enclosing common land does not make for enthusiastic voters.
- Carmel, Tooting
Wandworth council describes Tooting Triangle as tucked away between two railway lines. It must be because they never visited the area. There is one railway line, but the area as a whole is really beautiful,and not noisy and ugly as they make it sound. It is used every day by people living here in many different ways, picnic, sport, dog walking, and lots of schools also use it for their sports sessions. Instead of developing this into 12 floodlit football pitches, and ruining this green oasis, Wandsworth should consider to refurbish the youth club and the playground, which even now is hugely popular. I live on the road next door to Tooting Triangle and none of the many people I have spoken to here support this proposal. The chaos of traffic and parking has not even been mentioned by the council.
- Ingun Olsen, London
Ohh, c'mon Helen, Norwich... these developers are just honest rip-off merchants trying to make off with a few million of anybody's money
- Ian Heritage, Melbourne, Australia
Watch out, there's greed about!
- Helen, norwich
