Dr Rosena Allin-Khan urges community to sign petition to keep Fishponds Playing Fields open

A petition to keep Fishponds Playing Fields open has been created Dr Rosena Allin - Khan.

The MP for Tooting has joined with local ward councillors Annamarie Critchard, James Daley and Paul White, to urge Wandsworth Council to keep the fields open to the public.

The fields are currently only open to the public when the fields are booked by local schools or sports clubs.

This means that local residents do not always have access to the area.

Dr Rosena Allin - Khan said: "During the summer, the playing fields were open from 8am-6pm, daily.

"Local families used the fields for their morning walks, family picnics, and games for the children.

"My children really enjoyed their time spent playing there, as did other families. As we head into winter, these opening times are under threat and the fields could be closed to local residents."

The petition is asking that the fields remain open to the public every day from 0800-1800 in summer and from 0800-1600 in winter.

"That means local people can continue to use the fields for exercise and play," Allin-Khan said.

A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council previously said: "The site is only open to the public when sports bookings are made, so there may be games in progress - be aware of balls and please allow the sports to proceed without interruption.

"The playing fields are a dog-free zone and dogs are not permitted on the playing fields at any time.

"The gates to the playing fields will remain locked at other times in order to protect the sports fields."

One resident responded to the petition on Twitter, writing: "Yes please! We need open green space in this part if #Tooting. Now more than ever."

Another resident said: "Can it remain open whilst protecting the pitches? We pay a huge amount of money for pretty poorly maintained pitches throughout Wandsworth."

The petition will be closing at 3pm on 14th October.

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