Proposal to reintroduce football pitches and a mobile catering concession to Murray Park

Overview

The Parks Team at the London Borough of Richmond, with the support of the Friends of Murray Park, are consulting on a proposal to formally mark and use football pitches at Murray Park (starting in Autumn 2024 if supported).

The Parks Team are also consulting on the potential addition of a Mobile Catering Concession at Murray Park for an initial 12-month trial. In addition, we are currently undertaking compliance works to Murray Park Hall and part of these works will see the creation of externally accessible public toilets. 

Football Pitches

In 2023, the Council published the Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sport Strategy. Football teams across the Borough were contacted for feedback and expressions of their club's future requirements for football pitch provision. This identified an unknown and unmet demand by local football teams for junior football pitches of all sizes across all our football sites.

Following discussions with local clubs already using our facilities for football matches and training, Murray Park has been identified as a proposed additional location. The park formerly hosted a full 11-a-side pitch throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s.

The proposed new pitches at Murray Park would allow for additional grass roots teams to be developed by local clubs, as well as protecting existing pitches in other locations from overuse. The new pitches would be used for fixtures throughout the playing season (approximately late August to late April) and would be open to all clubs to book. 

Please see the image below for a map of the proposed junior football pitches at Murray Park. 

Sports clubs would also be encouraged to promote sustainable travel or car shares to and from the park to ease the pressures of parking on adjacent roads.

The sizing of pitches will be suitable for 5v5 and 7v7 football games and will utilise temporary goal posts when they are in use by the football teams, so no permanent goal posts will be present on site. A cage for storage of goals and equipment will be located in the hall car park. park. During training and matches, dog owners will be asked to keep their dogs off the pitch areas. 

Mobile Catering Concession

The Parks Team are also consulting on the potential addition of a Mobile Catering Concession at Murray Park. The proposed catering concession would be a small mobile van selling hot/cold drinks, snacks (including healthier options), and ice creams. The Parks Team anticipates that the Mobile Catering Concession would operate at the weekends only.

Initially, the mobile catering concession would be introduced on a 12-month trial. Longer term, the 'Friends of Murray Park' and the Council aim to transform the Hall into a community hub with various facilities, including a café. To determine if a café would be viable, we are conducting this mobile catering concession trial to gather data on its business potential.

Park users will still be able to get free water from the drinking fountain on the south wall of Murray Park Hall.

Please note that adding a mobile catering concession would be subject to installation of an appropriate electrical supply from the Hall.

Please see the image below for an example of a mobile catering concession currently at Heathfield Recreation Ground.

Have your say

Please give us your feedback using the Online Survey link below. If you need to request a paper questionnaire or any other format, please contact Parks@richmond.gov.uk or call 0208 891 1411.

What happens next

All feedback we receive in response to the consultation will be carefully analysed and considered before a decision is made on the way forward.