Decision over long-running Werrington Fields saga to be decided by full council

The battle over the future of Werrington Fields will continue after Peterborough City Council’s cabinet decided to send the final decision to full council.

Councillors were recommended to ignore a previous decision for the issue to be debated by all councillors but members of the cabinet did decide to send the decision to be voted on by all councillors following a meeting on Tuesday evening (October 15).

The proposal to lease the whole of the designated area to the Four Cs Academy Trust will also be advertised to allow for any objections to be made and considered before any potential granting of the lease.

The cabinet also resolved that it would be minded to decide that further negotiations should take place with the academy trust and the department of education regarding leasing approximately 60% of Area C for the use of the trust.

At today’s meeting, Cabinet voted to rescind the decision made at the meeting in July to fence the whole of Area C and to refer the matter to Full Council.

Residents who spoke at the meeting asked the Four Cs Academy Trust, which runs Ken Stimpson Academy, to agree to a compromise rather than continue with plans to fence off an area of land the size of eight football pitches- which is currently subject to shared use between the school and residents.

Residents spoke of their anger of the school’s rising demand for land, which started at 2.5 football pitches, before rising to four and now eight in the current plans.

Pupils at the school have not used the fields for the last five years due to safeguarding concerns raised by the school. Therefore, the trust has been pushing for the full fencing off of a 7.1 hectare area, described as Area C.

Trust CEO Mike Sandeman rejected claims that the trust had previously supported plans to fence off a smaller area of fields; insisting that at the time the school was still under local authority control rather than the trust’s and that his comments were made in support of an under fire colleague and he had no legal basis to make a decision on the situation.

Speaking in support of the fence, Mr Sandeman said: “When I walk my dog, I walk on public paths with dog bins, I don’t walk on farmer’s fields, I don’t walk on people’s gardens and I don’t walk on the local junior school.

“For all the noise around the issue, the Department for Education has said that the size currently planned is the right size.

"Safeguarding is proactive, not reactive. We are not waiting for something to happen.

“Peterborough talks a lot about valuing young people, it’s easy to say it but this an an opportunity to show young people that they are worth investing in.

“This is a straight forward for the decision for the council but not a popular one. Taking land off young people is not a compromise the Four Cs is willing to make.”

Headteacher Damien Whales added: “The Department for Education clearly states that measures must be put in place to make sure that that fields are safe, clarifying that the fence must be installed in line with the trust’s request.

“The students are desperate to have a school field constantly referencing things such as space for breaks and the desire to have a full sports day like other schools.”

Before the school and the academy trust spoke, a variety of speakers- which included Werrington’s three ward councillors John Fox, Judy Fox and Sarah Hiller, Werrington Neighbourhood Council representative Sally Weald and local residents gave their views.

Many tackled the academy trust on why it needed such a large area of land and asked why a compromise could not be reached.

Cllr Sarah Hillier said: “This has been again presented by officers as a no choice decision, repeatedly in the report to cabinet you've been told that it is highly unlikely that a compromise could be reached but why?

"All representatives of Werrington- councillors, the neighbourhood council, residents and Save Werrington Fields- have compromised on previous positions. It is the Four Cs that won’t compromise and changed their position from wanting 2.5 pitches to wanting four to now eight.”

Cllr John Fox said: “All three of the ward councillors are strongly against the fencing off of whole field. We have spoken out strongly always for a compromise. The time is now to bring the community together.”

Residents also raised the issue of a covenant on the land- which was acquired by the council from the Peterborough Development Corporation in 1981. The covenant states that nothing will be allowed that “may become a nuisance or annoyance to owners/occupiers of adjoining land” and that the land has always been dual shared open access public space with the school.

The council’s legal officer went on to clarify that the covenant also states that the used of the land by the school would be considered acceptable.

A special meeting of Full Council is being arranged for November so that the matter can be discussed as soon as possible.