Cash-strapped council under fire over London Olympic legacy riding centre decision

The handling of the decision to sell a London 2012 Olympic legacy centre came under fire in a lively debate – but the resolution still stands.

H&H reported on questions surrounding the future of the Greenwich Equestrian Centre in Shooters Hill in 2024. The £1.6m venue had a significant amount of public funding, including a £250,000 direct investment from Sport England.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich’s decision-making cabinet agreed to dispose of the site in less than a minute during a meeting on 26 November. Members of the public contacted councillors, who called in the decision – asking for it to be looked at again.

The matter went before the council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday (8 January), when the handling of the decision on the equestrian centre was discussed in depth. This included hearing from a number of members of the community.

Cllr Matt Hartley, one of the signatories of the call-in, branded the decision-making process as a “complete contradiction” of the council’s own “very glossy” community engagement pledge and described the “disappointing” lack of engagement as making “a mockery of the council’s own words about engaging communities”.

“The panel will be aware that there is widespread public opposition to the disposal of the equestrian centre site,” he said.

“Two petitions have been handed in to the council with more than 1,400 signatures combined, and many of the residents signing the petition want to see a return to equestrian use, at least in part, as part of the future of the site.

“And that’s one option – there are surely lots of different options that could be explored with a bit of imagination. Explored together, collaborating with the community on how to utilise this asset to achieve everybody’s objectives, the community groups’ objectives, but also the council’s own corporate objectives and political objectives, not least around health and wellbeing in our borough.”

Members of the cabinet said the correct processes had been followed, it had engaged with certain parties, and that “being financially responsible means making tough decisions”. They also said a two-week consultation on the future of the site is yet to take place.

“To remain financially stable and deliver the frontline public services that our residents deserve, we have to make the best use of resources and land that we own,” said cabinet member Cllr Averil Lekau, who later added that the equestrian centre “is just not the luxury we can afford”.

“The recommended disposals mean that we can put more resources into protecting frontline council services that residents need,” she said.

“We’re going to have to make £33.7m in savings to balance the budget and protect these services. Next year, we’re forecasting a budget gap of another £27m. Cabinet considered the cost of running different services and facilities, including the business case for repurposing, and concluded that there was no reasonable prospect for these coming back into use for council priorities.”

She added: “We have a difficult choice to make. I don’t think any council wants to throw out the family silver here, but we’re in very, very challenging situations.”

In response to queries about the lack of engagement with British Equestrian (BEF) and Sport England, interim head of property Steve Dunevein told the meeting the council had met with both for an hour each in October.

BEF chief executive Jim Eyre said the briefing document for this meeting “inferred long consultation with us” which he described as “slightly disingenuous”.

“We did have a meeting. We had sought a meeting for quite some time, and actually, although it was an open meeting, the decision was a ‘fait accompli’ – there wasn’t much room for negotiation,” he said.

“The decision has clearly been made through an optic of finances without consideration of the social and community value these centres create.”

Mr Eyre “strongly” recommended the decision to dispose of the centre be reversed, that the council ensure any future consultation “is consultation” and that “there is sufficient opportunity” to enable the centre to “return to the valuable community asset it can be”.

He added: “The centre is not just about horses, it’s about people. It provides vital access to allow children from all backgrounds to have the opportunity to experience a unique relationship with the horse and have the opportunity to broaden their horizons. It can be transformative and aspirational. These are not just local benefits. They’re reasonable opportunities for inclusion, recreation, employment and even environmental stewardship.

“Like pitches and pools, it should be part of the council strategy for sports facilities focusing on the need for health and well being not marginalised because it doesn’t fit the norm. Once this land is lost, it’s lost for good.”

A member of the public added: “Disposing of a centre like this really doesn’t just mean losing a building, it means closing the door on future opportunities and possibilities, on untapped talent that we do’’t even know is out there. We’re constantly telling young people to dream big. How can we do that if we are not giving people opportunities?”

Tao Baker, who has been campaigning to save the centre with the hope of running it as a community facility once more, said: “The council’s decision to sell the site, made without notifying the community or seeking input, fails to follow proper process.

“Public open space must be protected by transparency and consultation, neither of which has occurred here. This undermines trust and contradicts the council’s own commitments to fairness and inclusion.”

She added that metropolitan open land “is protected” and can only be released under exceptional circumstances.

“Financial difficulty does not constitute exceptional circumstances,” she said.

Committee chair Lauren Dingsdale, who cast the deciding vote, said the original decision will stand. She also urged cabinet members to take into account what they had heard, in terms of engaging with interested parties when making subsequent decisions.

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