Werrington residents plead with school to accept compromise on playing fields

Residents of Werrington in Peterborough have signed an open letter which pleads with the local school to accept a compromise on playing fields and put an end to a five-year-long saga.

Peterborough city councillors recently agreed to lease a section of Werrington Fields to the Ken Stimpson Academy, albeit a smaller section than the academy trust said it would accept, which has left the authority open to a possible legal challenge from the trust.

However, a campaign group of local residents called Save Werrington Fields stated that they are also prepared to fight the battle in the courts if necessary.

The Four C’s Academy Trust, which runs the school, said it would accept fencing off 77 per cent of the fields for educational use, which would see a strip of land around the fencing left for the public.

However, the amendment voted through by councillors on March 13 reduced this to 63.5 per cent, with the fence to be built in line with the school building.

A total of 173 Werrington residents recently signed an open letter to the academy trust, asking them to accept the proposal put forward by the council

The letter reads: "The councillors voted for compromise. For Werrington residents this is still a huge loss.

"And while we want to ensure that access to green space is maintained from Foxcovert Road and Ainsdale Drive, it is a compromise we are willing to accept to resolve this issue, for the sake of everyone – including our children and family members who are students at Ken Stimpson.

"Four Cs Academy Trust has recently stated its intention to oppose the compromise. However, as a school with a long history with the community, we sincerely hope that the wishes of the full council, the neighbourhood council, the MP and the 800 plus members of the Save Werrington Fields group will be heard and respected."

Werrington Fields has been used as a shared community space for decades.

The land stopped being used as school playing fields around 2021 due to documented safeguarding concerns related to the risks of contact between pupils and members of the public, who continue to use the land both during and outside of school hours.

Headteacher of Ken Stimpson Academy Damian Whales previously told the residents seeking to keep the fields as shared use that a compromise was off the table as the land is solely for educational use.

However, it is now up to the academy trust to decide if they accept the compromise agreed by councillors.

Peterborough City Council has agreed to contribute no more than half the costs of installing a fence on the fields, which is likely to cost the authority around £40,000.

The Save Werrington Fields group called the long-running saga "a case of David and Goliath".

Their open letter states: "Green spaces are so important to us all. None of us want further delays, but if the academy refuses what is a fair and generous compromise, the Save Werrington Fields group will have no choice but to seek legal advice as to our next steps given that no planning permission has been obtained, public rights of way will be obstructed, as well as seeking advice to whether a judicial review is appropriate."

Ken Stimpson Academy has been approached for comment.