HL Deb 14 June 1989 vol 508 cc1420-2

2.46 p.m.

Lord Orr-Ewing asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they have taken and intend to take to prevent ILEA selling off playing fields, including 20 acres of Raynes Park, for building developments.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, each local education authority is responsible for providing playing fields for its schools and colleges and for decisions about surplus facilities. In the special circumstances of ILEA, the authority is required to obtain my right honourable friend's consent to disposal of property. This ensures the retention of sites required for educational purposes by an inner London borough. If, as was the case with Raynes Park, no borough needs the site, the ILEA is responsible for its disposal, and its future use is a planning matter for the local borough council.

Lord Orr-Ewing

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that there is very wide interest in this playing field and others which are near our big cities, especially those near London? Further, as questions have been asked in both Houses from all quarters in support of some manner in which this open space could be held for recreation and for sports, would it not be wise to take up the suggestion made by the London Playing Fields Society in a letter to the Department of the Environment that ILEA playing fields, if not others, might be listed immediately under the auspices of the Government while the matter is sorted out? Is my noble friend further aware that it would be a shame if we did not reserve these spaces in highly built up areas or on the fringe of London for future generations? In that way we could get our young people off the streets and on to playing fields undertaking organised sports.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, we still expect that the playing fields will not go out of use as a result of the abolition of ILEA. However, the authority has declared a number of playing fields, nearly all located outside inner London, surplus to educational requirements. In the case of Raynes Park, all the inner London boroughs have agreed with the assessment.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, can my noble friend explain why it is that the forthcoming dissolution of ILEA should suddenly make these playing fields surplus to requirements when they have been needed over the past few years?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, it is because such fields will now come under the control of borough councils and those councils will have different plans. That means that playing fields in the future will probably be nearer to those who use them.

Lord Renton

My Lords, bearing in mind that we have a green belt policy which surrounds London with open fields—or at least to a great extent—are we really to abandon the open spaces in London itself as easily as this?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, we expect that playing fields will not go out of use. On the basis of borough bids for sports facilities, including those declared surplus by ILEA, it seems likely that more property will be brought into sports use as a result of its abolition.

Lord Pesten

My Lords, following yesterday's disaster on the playing fields of Headingley, will the Government take seriously the need to keep playing fields in existence as playing fields? Am I not right that, given the new Education Reform Act, the Secretary of State cannot prevent the London boroughs getting rid of playing fields? Following that, and in the hope that the noble Viscount has some good news, can he tell us whether the water sports facilities at Raven's Ait, which is an example of what I have in mind, will be preserved?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I am not sure whether that comes under the heading of "cricket" or "rowing". The water sports centre at Raven's Ait to which I think the noble Lord is referring will no longer be used by ILEA and it applied to my right honourable friend for consent to dispose of it. It was given consent and has sold it to the Royal Borough of Kingston, which I understand is committed to retaining the site for educational and recreational use.

Baroness David

My Lords, is not the reason for ILEA having some surplus playing fields that the number of children in London has substantially declined? Is it not also because it has only £11 million for the maintenance of buildings, and it desperately needs the cash, of which the Secretary of State has kept it so short?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I believe that we are making a generality out of an individual case. I do not see many other playing fields going the same way as Raynes Park. ILEA owns some half-a-dozen large sports centres outside inner Landon. It has taken a number of them out of use because of the time taken to ferry pupils to them and has provided alternative facilities closer to the schools. ILEA has sought to find ways to keep such centres in recreational use and is in discussion with the outer London boroughs and sports bodies to that end. I hope therefore that few fields will need to be sold on the open market.

Lord Orr-Ewing

My Lords, will my noble friend consider listing Raynes Park, as we seem to have got into a muddle and are legislatively inhibited from taking action? Why not put a single-clause Bill through Parliament? He would have the support of all sides of both Houses. It would not take long and it would not slow up the Government's machine. It would be a simple answer. Future generations might benefit a great deal and thank us for so doing.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, that is an interesting suggestion which I shall of course pass on to my right honourable friend.