Please write to protest about termination of lease.

29 Sept

Dear Friends,

Further to our email of the 17 September, we are writing to you to update you on the Council's decision to terminate our lease prematurely and to award a new lease to Dose of Nature from September 2025. We have now received a purported termination notice from the Council (although we do not accept its validity and are taking legal advice).

Here is a link to our letter to the Council dated 12 September asking them to reverse the decision and a link to the reply received on 23 September from the Leader, Councillor Gareth Roberts. He apologises for the Council’s mishandling of the matter and the way in which the the news was relayed to us but stands by the Council’s decision. In fact, how we received the news is neither here nor there - our issue is with the absence of consultation with ourselves, schools and local residents and the assumption that proper consultation would have led to the same outcome. Here is a link to our reply dated 28 September.

The essence of our reply is that the wildlife in Pensford Field has no where else to go but humans do - an organisation that focuses on mental health cannot be relied upon to prioritise wildlife and conservation. Whatever safeguards the Council puts in the new lease, they will be of no use to local residents and schools/nurseries unless the Council takes tangible steps to give them direct access rights and designates times when the field is reserved for them.

Several questions on the termination of our lease were asked at the Council meeting “Richmond upon Thames Community Conservation” on 24 September and the leader said he had not received as many letters protesting about the action as we have seen ourselves (possibly a timing issue). But if you have not yet written to express your views, please do as soon as possible - we have received plenty of supportive emails from you but we appreciate it takes more effort to address the Council. It really does make a difference.

If you have had experience of being made to feel unwelcome in the field by Dose of Nature, please let the Council know as that will be relevant to the extent to which the Council needs to include safeguards. We have already received copies of a number of letters to the Council where people have been asked to leave.

The relevant email addresses are below but if you live outside the Kew ward, you will need to check your local councillor on the Council’s website.

Several questions are being asked at the full Council meeting on 1 October by us, Clare Vollum, our local councillor, and Andree Frieze, a councillor who leads the Green Party.

Thank you for your support. It has meant a lot to us to know that you feel equally strongly about the treatment of the local people who have spent over 3 decades nurturing Pensford Field.

Kind Regards,

Sarah

Sarah Atkins

on behalf of the Trustees of Pensford Field

Email addresses of the Leader of the Council, local councillors in Kew ward and Sarah Olney, MP

Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park - office@saraholney.com

Cllr Gareth Roberts, Leader of LBRuT Cllr.G.Roberts@richmond.gov.uk

Cllr Piers Allen, Chair of Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Committee Cllr.P.Allen@richmond.gov.uk

Cllr Julia Neden-Watts, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee - cllr.j.neden-watts@richmond.gov.uk

Cllr Clare Vollum - cllr.c.vollum@richmond.gov.uk

Cllr Ian Craigie - cllr.i.craigie@richmond.gov.uk

Cllr Alice Bridges-Westcott - cllr.a.bridges-westcott@richmond.gov.uk