Paddington Rec - Bowling Green

Back in the early Summer, we asked officers from the Council's Parks & Leisure Department to hold an open day in Paddington Rec, which included a display of new plans to bring the disused bowling green, bordering Biddulph Road, Grantully Road, Elgin Avenue and Randolph Avenue back into use. A number of local residents attended and provided their comments.

The current proposal from the Council is to replace the bowling green and hut - which have not been regularly used for over 5 years - with three full-sized tennis courts and three short practice short courts. Council officers believe that there is a real demand for additional courts within Westminster, and so are keen to offer further facilities from the Rec.

The proposals have now been on the table for a few months, and the Cabinet Member for Parks and Leisure is moving towards making a decision on the proposal. As local Councillors, we have always believed that the Council's needs to balance the need to provide fantastic sports and community facilities for all of Westminster (as it does) with the rights of local residents. As a result, we are yet to be convinced that tennis courts are the best use of an area of land bordered on three sides by residential properties.

We will be holding a meeting with the Cabinet Member and officers later this month to talk through the current proposal, to discuss the timeframe and to provide comments. We want to hear from you - what do you think is the best way to bring the Bowling Green back into use? And if you aren't keen on tennis courts, what do you think should be done with the land instead?

Please do let us know (maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com) by 25 September - and we'll make sure we pass your thoughts on at our meeting.

Alastair, Jan and Lee