29 Jun 2026
Campaigners have welcomed the decision by district councillors to open up plans for the £6.5m redevelopment of the William Bird Pavilion in New Greens to wider consultation.
SADC has announced a huge investment in a new community hub at the site on Toulmin Drive, which supports multiple football and rugby pitches that are widely used by residents and local clubs.
The proposed development will replace the ageing facilities by creating a modern, accessible and flexible community hub, alongside high-quality changing provision designed to meet Sport England and relevant governing body standards. The facility will support sport, community events and social activities, offering an inclusive space accessible to all.
The scheme will replace the former pavilion, which was closed in 2022 due to structural issues linked to RAAC, the dangerous form of concrete which has collapsed without warning elsewhere in the UK.
While temporary facilities have enabled continued use of the pitches, councillors say these do not provide a suitable long-term solution. The new development will deliver a permanent, energy-efficient building, along with improvements to access, parking and wider site infrastructure.
As part of the proposals, the existing New Greens Residents’ Association building in High Oaks – which is outdated and is in a poor state of repair – will be decommissioned, with users relocating to the new hub in Toulmin Drive to benefit from improved and more versatile accommodation.
Earlier this year, residents attended a public meeting in which Liberal Democrat councillors presented the scheme as something of a fait accompli, with no opportunity for meaningful debate on the scheme.
New Greens Residents Association committee members refuted suggestions that they had agreed to the plans, insisting they had previously communicated their concerns to all SADC councillors on the strategy and resources committee.
This included the absence of a fully equipped kitchen which would severely limit both the kind of events that could take place and any potential income generated from them.
A campaign group, Community Hub Action for the New Greens Estate (CHANGE!), aiming to represent community views and advocate for improvements to the plans, set up a petition calling for a community café, a fully equipped kitchen, and improved accessibility, which was signed by 710 local residents.
Councillors say SADC officers have already engaged with a range of local stakeholders, including New Greens’ Residents Association and the Centurions Rugby Club, and have already refined their proposals based on the feedback they have received so far. Now the council is widening out its engagement and seeking feedback from a wider audience.
Residents, community groups and stakeholders are encouraged to attend a public exhibition at Townsend School in High Oaks, on Tuesday June 30, between 5-7pm.
Cllr Giles Fry, SADC lead councillor for resources, explained: “The council is committed to working collaboratively with our community to ensure the new hub reflects the needs of local people, groups, and sporting clubs.
“Feedback from the exhibition will play an important role in refining the proposals as the project progresses. We are keen to get feedback on revised draft designs which take account of feedback received so far.
“With Hertfordshire Local Government Reorganisation around the corner, it is important that plans progress in a timely manner so that the planning application can be submitted later this summer. By doing that, the project has the best chance of coming to fruition as there are various deadlines imposed on councils undergoing such reorganisation.
“I encourage people to come along to the council’s exhibition to learn more about the proposals and give their views.”
Local resident Damian Gaskin, on behalf of CHANGE, welcomed the opportunity for residents to finally see the proposals and give feedback.
“For more than a year, St Michael Parish Council and a number of local organisations have been calling for broader engagement beyond the initial discussions with a relatively small number of stakeholders. It is therefore positive that residents now have an opportunity to see the plans for themselves and comment before a planning application is submitted.
“However, one of the fundamental questions many local people still have is whether the community was ever asked where a community hub should be located before the current scheme was developed.
“The existing social club sits within the heart of New Greens and is within easy walking distance of many elderly residents and people with mobility issues. By contrast, the proposed replacement is on the edge of the estate and involves a longer journey, often uphill, for many users.
“Groups such as the Maple Club, which has been serving local older residents since 1950, and the Daylight Club have used the existing facilities for many years. Maple Club members are predominantly older residents who benefit from having a local venue within easy walking distance, while many Daylight Club members rely on carers, wheelchairs and accessible local facilities.
“Yet these groups do not appear to have been involved in shaping the early proposals. Had wider engagement taken place at the outset, which was over two years ago, the community may have reached different conclusions about the best location for a long-term community facility.
“Most people support investment in New Greens. The question has never been whether investment should happen, but whether all realistic options were properly explored before the decision was made to relocate community facilities from the existing social club site to Toulmin Drive and whether the project has been designed around the needs of the community or around the opportunity to redevelop the existing social club site for private housing.
“It should be remembered that such a project on this site at Toulmin Drive was rejected by the council planning department in 1980 because of noise and the possibility of antisocial behaviour disturbing residents nearby.
“Community interest in this issue is clear. Earlier this year residents formed CHANGE, which now has around 80 members. A petition calling for greater public involvement in shaping the project has attracted more than 700 signatures and was presented to the council’s strategy and resources committee last Tuesday.
Damian added: “That is why the public exhibition is so important. Residents now have an opportunity to ask whether the proposals genuinely meet the needs of all sections of the community, particularly older residents, people with disabilities and those who rely on being able to walk to local facilities.
“We would encourage everyone to attend the exhibition, look carefully at the plans and make their views known. This hub could serve New Greens for the next 50 years or more, so it is important that the community helps shape the final outcome.”
