Over the past year, London company ‘Putt in the Park’ has been gathering plans for the development of a new mini golf attraction and cafe on Clapham common to replace the current bowling greens. The plan, if approved by Lambeth council, would grant the company a 15-year lease on the land to establish the new course and cafe. However, many people in the local area disapprove of these plans and are calling for the council to remove them.
Those campaigning against the development argue that the building of the mini golf course would be detrimental as it would replace current grass and green space with artificial turf creating ‘ecological dead zones’. They believe that with the current climate crisis we should be working to establish more green spaces not destroy them. Furthermore, those against the development believe that the new establishment will bring disruption and crowding to the quiet streets surrounding the area. For example, some argue that the area does not have the facilities for increased traffic and worry about the proposed café’s ability to sell alcohol which may bring general rowdiness to a currently quiet and child friendly area.
Tennis players too are also worried about the development as the new course would be situated in between Clapham Common’s tennis courts and players fear that the new plans would bring disruption to their games. Finally, many do not want to see the publically owned ‘common’ land become privatised, believing that common land should remain publically owned.
However, on the other hand some local residents are greatly in favour of the plans believing that attraction would create jobs and bring new life to this area of the park. Many believe that the new course would be a fun attraction for local families and that the establishment would provide welcome entertainment - especially after having to deal with Covid-19 restrictions over the past year. Additionally, those in favour of the development argue that the new establishment would generate jobs and help boost the economy, again something that has become increasingly important with the current situation.
To find out more about public opinion on the plans I spoke to local residents about the issue:
One resident, Sophia Moss, commented “I think the plans sound really positive. The area has seemed pretty dishevelled for a while now and the idea of a cafe sounds great. I would however be quite concerned about potential disruptions the plans may cause to the local residential community so hope that there will be some measures in place to prevent that.”
I also talked to another local resident (who preferred to remain un-named) who described himself as an 'avid tennis player'. He commented on how “the area is too small and enclosed” and how he was concerned about “all of the people it would attract, I believe it would be seriously distracting and really hinder the experience of playing a game of tennis.”
Overall the plans are yet to be confirmed and positives and negatives for the development are strong on both sides. If you would, however, like to campaign against the project there is currently a petition going with over 3000 signatures to halt the development.
