23 Feb 2026
A grassroots campaign has been launched for greater community consultation and transparency surrounding plans for a £6.5million community hub in New Greens.
In November, SADC announced it had identified available capital funding to redevelop the William Bird Pavilion, the derelict changing rooms at the Toulmin Playing Fields.
No details have been agreed on the purpose, design or community needs of the building before reaching this figure.
At November’s meeting of the council’s strategic and resources committee, chair Cllr Giles Fry said: “There is no formal consultation at the moment, and that will happen very soon.”
But he also revealed: “Initial informal conversations have already happened, so it is not as if there has been no consultation.”
Neither Townsend School, right next to the proposed development, Margaret Wix Primary School, Christ Church, or St Michael Parish Council have been involved in any consultation to date.
When pushed for answers on the consultation process, SADC leader Cllr Paul de Kort revealed that they have spoken to some concerned parties.
“The New Greens Residents Association and the Centurions rugby club currently hold the relevant leases, so they are our primary consultees. There has been much engagement with them over an extended period.
“Both are delighted that the Liberal Democrats have prioritised this local regeneration project which will bring benefits to local residents and the district-wide users of the sports facilities.
“The Liberal Democrats also delivered a street letter to local residents about three months ago explaining the plans and asking that any concerns or questions be raised with the three, elected, ward councillors. Again, the feedback was very positive and residents were pleased that this financial commitment was being made in these straightened times.
“As you would expect, there has also been engagement with other local groups and also other sporting organisations such as the Herts Football League, Sports England and the Football Foundation.”
Members of New Greens Residents Association Social Club committee have said they were shown an artist’s impression of the proposed building and informed it will consist of 14 ground floor changing rooms, and two large rooms and a bar on the first floor.
No publicly available plans are available for scrutiny, but it is not thought there will be a café or fully fitted kitchen facilities.
According to Cllr de Kort, responsibility for running the centre and generating revenue for its upkeep will be initially offered to the residents association.
“The New Greens Residents Association will be offered first right of refusal to manage the new community centre, as is the case currently at the High Oaks site. They have been very supportive of the new development and the opportunities it offers to occupy a new, well-appointed building with much lower energy costs and expected repair and maintenance obligations.
“If they do not want this responsibility, then SADC will offer this out to other suitable stakeholders. A fallback position is that it could be wrapped up as part of the council’s leisure management contract, as is the case at the Cottonmill Cycling and Community Centre.
“The New Greens Residents Association currently runs a vibrant community operation that generates revenue for them to meet their operating cost needs. They run one of the largest number of darts teams in the district, for example. They also lease the space at other times to community groups, so, as now at High Oaks, room bookings and facilities hire will be a further income generator.
“The sports pitches and changing rooms use will also generate fees that will cover other costs such as cleaning and pitch maintenance.”
But New Greens residents are worried that there is no business plan in place to ensure the centre’s long-term future, especially when SADC ceases to exist under local government reorganisation.
They have now launched a petition for a community hub which is “inclusive, welcoming, sustainable, and worthy of the investment being made”. (You can sign it here.)
It says: “This project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a genuine community hub — one that supports local residents, families, schools, volunteers, walkers, and visitors, while bringing long-term social and economic benefits to the estate and surrounding green spaces. However, as currently designed, the proposal risks falling short of its promise…
“We respectfully call on the council to include a café on the ground floor, designed as an everyday, accessible community space, install a fully functioning kitchen on the first floor, suitable for community use, and engage openly with New Greens residents and local groups so the final design reflects the community it is meant to serve.”
Batchwood district councillor Lynn Cunningham responded: “I fully welcome the interest of local residents in this new project, including the petition which has recently been announced, albeit somewhat prematurely! We have had strong overall support already through close engagement with the New Greens Residents Association and the sporting organisations which use the playing fields, who are the leaseholders that needed to be on board whilst feasibility and budget planning were undertaken.
“It is absolutely essential to get the budget approved first before any detailed consultation starts. To that extent the recent petition is simply asking for something which was always going to happen anyway, and we have already confirmed, in response to public questions raised at committee meetings, that we will be consulting with residents.
“Doing so ensures that we better understand the local demand for community facilities and will help the council design something that is fit for purpose. I want to assure all our residents that there has never been any suggestion that this will not happen; it is all about timing and getting things done in the right order. The budget and funding must come first, and the detailed planning will follow, when residents can get fully involved and share their views on the outline design that several in the community have already been given sight of.
“Our area has been overlooked by previous administrations for too long. Despite the huge financial pressures on the district council, the Lib Dem team is still delivering on its promise to improve and invest in community facilities. As local government reorganisation imposed by the Labour government hurtles towards us, it is absolutely critical that funding is secured and ring-fenced while the district council can still make it happen.
“We’re also very much aware of the need to benefit from the lessons learnt in delivering previous successful community hubs. We Lib Dems are incredibly proud of the Cottonmill Cycling and Community Centre, which was a fantastic example of local residents, community groups and Liberal Democrat councillors working hand in glove with the council’s project team to develop a community facility that is accessible to and valued by all from around the district.
“We will ensure all voices can be heard so that the end product is a community hub that can be used and loved by all in our New Greens and wider district community.”
