Finsbury Park Q&As
FAQs
- Will the fees and charges change for the sports facilities at Finsbury Park under the proposed new arrangements?
- What are the conservation impacts of the proposed developments?
- Will there be disruption due to the new operational arrangements and the capital development proposals?
- How likely is it that the funds will be raised for the capital development works?
- What will happen if lease negotiations between the council and the prospective partner(s) fail?
- If the Park hours are not extended what is the impact?
- Why is carriageway lighting required?
- What will be the arrangements to lock the Park at the new closing time?
- It is likely that there will be more litter being dropped and other nuisance activity as a result of later opening hours. How will the council deal with this?
- Why can’t the council continue to operate the various sports facilities at the Park and also draw down the capital investment required?
Will the fees and charges change for the sports facilities at Finsbury Park under the proposed new arrangements?
Currently there are charges to use the facilities at the Track and Gym which people pay either directly to the centre or via the club they belong to. There are no plans to change this and charges will stay broadly in line with other pricing for leisure centres in Haringey and its surrounds.
Tennis is currently free although there has been a policy for many years of charging at the courts. Regrettably the council has lacked the resources to collect these fees in recent years. With the new arrangements in place the courts will become predominantly a pay and play facility. This will give customers the opportunity to book courts and be guaranteed a game at a time of their choice (subject to availability).
Additionally future operation will have free provision for local schools and disadvantaged groups at off peak times and a full programme of courses/coaching and tournaments.
What are the conservation impacts of the proposed developments?
In order for an operator to be able to generate the required income levels; later opening hours (particularly in autumn and winter) are required at the Park. It is envisaged that the impact of this with modern lighting specifications will be minimal.
Bat and other surveys that maybe required at an Planning Application stage will be conducted (as necessary) to ensure that potential conservation issues are identified and action taken to mitigate any adverse impact. Additionally carriageway lighting will be kept to an absolute minimum to avoid any adverse impact on wildlife whilst ensuring safe entry and exit for facilities/service users at night.
Will there be disruption due to the new operational arrangements and the capital development proposals?
There is likely to be some disruption to the operation of sports facilities over the next few years as new operational management arrangements are put in place and likely capital works to improve the facilities take place. The council will seek to keep any disruption to an absolute minimum. However there will be some closures at certain times that are unavoidable.
Clearly, subject to successfully attracting external investment, major capital works will require some temporary closures of facilities.
There will continue to be some school and young people’s programmes during this time.
How likely is it that the funds will be raised for the capital development works?
There are no guarantees regarding this, as applications will need to be made to and considered by a number of funding bodies.
What is clear at this stage is the strategic importance of the facility for England Athletics and the various funding bodies (Sport England, London Marathon Trust, and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) being the key ones). The facilities at Finsbury Park are recognised as important because they serve a large population across a number of London boroughs.
What will happen if lease negotiations between the council and the prospective partner(s) fail?
It is likely that the facility will close and that the capital developments will not take place.
If the Park hours are not extended what is the impact?
The success of a new operation is dependent on the Park (and therefore the Track and Gym facility and tennis courts) being open until at least 9.30pm. Without these later opening hours the facilities will not be able to attract the additional use and related income to ensure a viable operation.
Why is carriageway lighting required?
Currently during the autumn and winter months customers using the Track and Gym facility have to walk through an unlit Park. As a result, women and young people, in particular, are reluctant to participate in sports activities at the Park because of this.
New carriageway lighting will alleviate this issue and reduce barriers to participation.
Care will be taken regarding where the lighting is situated to ensure that any environmental impact is kept to an absolute minimum.
What will be the arrangements to lock the Park at the new closing time?
Leisure Services undertake this function and this arrangement will continue under a revised timetable.
It is likely that there will be more litter being dropped and other nuisance activity as a result of later opening hours. How will the council deal with this?
The council have sufficient resources available to ensure that the standards of cleanliness at the Park do not drop.
It should also be noted that even with better lighting during the winter months the increased levels of usage will tend to be mainly confined to tennis and Track and Gym customers. Experience tells us that this type of Park user is far less likely to drop litter and be engaged in anti social behaviour.
Why can’t the council continue to operate the various sports facilities at the Park and also draw down the capital investment required?
The council is facing severe budget restrictions. This means we are unable to continue to subsidise the operation at the Track and Gym, or directly invest in improving existing facilities.
The council has consulted Sport England, England Athletics and the LTA and concluded that the best way forward is to transfer the assets (the Track and Gym and tennis courts) to the voluntary sector. In this way a community based organisation is able to take on the facilities and operate them in a way that is most beneficial for the various stakeholders and the community as a whole.
A well run voluntary organisation is also probably better placed than the local authority to achieve the capital investment required to improve the facilities so that they can continue to be enjoyed by existing users and people in the future.