Consultation on changes to track, gym and tennis facilities and extended opening hours in Finsbury Park

Image from London Heathside

Following various posts on HoL about the Finsbury Park Athletics track, the Council published a new consultation on its future this week. The consultation runs till 6th July.

The Council’s Cabinet recently took the decision to lease out the Finsbury Park Track and Gym to an "external organisation". This has been done "to support the long-term development of the facility".

The key requirement for a new operator will be to:

• Secure capital investment to improve the existing facilities
• Increase the level of usage of the facilities
• Generate an increase in direct income

The Council say:

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.

Here's what the Consultation asks:

Question 1
To what extent do you support the proposed improvements to the sports facilities at the park?

• Strongly support
• Support
• Neither support nor do not support
• Do not support
• Strongly do not support
• Don't know

Question 2
Please tell us the main reason why you support the proposed improvements

Question 3
Use this space to make any other comments about the proposed improvements

Question 4
Please tell us the main reason why you don’t support the proposed improvements

Question 5
The park is already open until 10.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (to cater for Finsbury Park Track & Gym customers). On other nights the park is closed at dusk (generally speaking when it gets dark). Therefore the time varies winter to summer, and can be between 4.30pm-10pm.
To deliver the planned improvements and obtain the external capital funding it needs, the park would need to stay open later all year round and better lighting (to carriageway and tennis courts) would need to be provided. Therefore we are proposing for the park to be open until 10pm every night.

Please rank from 1 to 5 your preferred extended opening time ( 1 being your first choice and 5 being your last choice):

• 10pm on every night of the week
• 10pm on week nights only
• 9.30pm week nights only
• No change to current closing times
• Other, (Please specify your ideal opening pattern in the box below)

Question 6
Use this space to make any other comments about the proposed change to opening hours.

The survey can be completed at haringey.gov.uk/index/haringey-snap-survey.htm?k=133614170083