Councillor Alan Hall representing Bellingham asked a formal Council Question at the full Lewisham Council meeting on 26th February 2020 about the ownership and future of the under 5s play area building on Bellingham Green. The play area is well used and currently the building is locked up and the toilets are inaccessible. The Generation Playclub was closed due to austerity cuts driven by tory Government policies. However, Councillor Alan Hall has taken up the fight to re-open the building.
Here is the full text of the Council Question.
Priority 1 LONDON BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM COUNCIL MEETING 26 FEBRUARY 2020
Question by Councillor Hall of Councillor Slater
Question: The Bellingham Green under 5s play area building was transferred to Eco Community some time ago and it is still not in use. Please can the cabinet member clarify the current ownership and responsibilities for this site?
Reply: The play area building was handed back to the Council’s property team late last year. The building has been secured, made safe and is being cleared. Officers are working together to secure a positive future use for the building.
Councillor Alan Hall asked Councillor Slater the following supplementary question:
Question: Now that the under 5s play area building is safely back with the Council, I have spoken to our good partners at Phoenix Community Housing and they would be very interested in having a discussion about restoring this building to its original use – would the Cabinet Member support this?
The Cabinet Member responded that he would. To hear the full exchange see the webcast at 16:00 minutes here