Consultation on Finsbury Park
Proposed changes to track, gym and tennis facilities and extended opening hours in Finsbury Park
This consultation is now closed
Thank you to everyone who took part by telling us what you think about the proposed improvements and proposed extended opening hours for Finsbury Park.
All questionnaires, comments, ideas and correspondence received will be analysed and included in our report.
- Click here to view the Finsbury Park consultation results report (PDF, 658KB)
Background
The Council is seeking to ensure the continued provision of enhanced sports and leisure services in a challenging economic climate. In order to do this it must explore different ways of providing the service, including transferring assets to the voluntary sector and developing new and better facilities. In this way residents could continue to enjoy access to facilities.
England Athletics recognises that Finsbury Park Track and Gym is an important facility, particularly for athletics, within Haringey and for a number of neighbouring boroughs where no tracks are available. However the track and ancillary facilities require substantial investment to continue to remain open.
To support the long-term development of Finsbury Park Track and Gym, the Council’s Cabinet took the decision in February 2011 to lease out the facility and work with other organisations to secure external investment.
|back to topWhat the Council is seeking to achieve and how we believe it could occur
In the event of the facility being leased, the key requirement for a new operator will be to have a sustainable business plan. The three key ingredients for this are:
- Securing capital investment to improve the existing facilities
- Increasing the level of usage of the facilities
- Support and assist revenue generation on the site
The ingredients are interlinked. By demonstrating improved access, increased levels of usage and income, we will improve the financial viability of the facilities, and thus enhance the ability to attract external funding.
To strengthen the package of provision and operational management, we are of the view the tennis courts should be included in the facilities to be leased, as this will significantly improve our chances of securing external funding. We also believe that the parks’ opening hours should be extended at evenings and weekends, to meet peak demand and generate additional revenue. This is particularly important as athletics facilities can be expensive to operate and do not generate sufficient income to meet operating costs.
From work undertaken to date, we have identified that the following improvements could take place to provide an attractive and sustainable operation.
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Picture above shows how the proposed tennis pavilion could look.
| Current Arrangements | Proposed Improvements | |
|---|---|---|
| Track and gym | Athletics facilities - poor condition | Refurbished |
| Infield - poor condition | Refurbished | |
| Gym - poor condition | Upgrade | |
| Track and gym pavilion - not fit for purpose | Upgrade | |
| Track and gym programme - limited | Improved | |
| Tennis | No tennis after dark | New court floodlighting |
| No toilets and changing facilities nearby | New small managed pavilion with toilets and changing facilities | |
| Occasional tennis tournaments/leagues. No courses available | More tournaments and leagues and bookable courses | |
| Minimal programming for children | Free coached tennis programmes for children/schools etc | |
| First come first serve | Pay and play bookable tennis | |
| Lighting | No carriageway lighting | New carriageway lighting to key areas |
| Opening hours | Open two nights a week until 10pm, on the other nights it closes at dusk between 4.30pm to 10.30pm (time varies winter to summer). | Open to 10pm either 7 days a week or week nights only throughout the year |
Picture above shows the potential new track and field facilities
|back to topMore information
If you would like to find out more about the proposals please see the frequently asked questions page.
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