Proposal to introduce additional grass roots football pitches at Hampton Common and formalise sports use of Tangley Park Old Ambulance Station

Overview

The Parks Team at the London Borough of Richmond is consulting on a proposal to introduce an additional grassroots football pitch (9v9) and a 5v5 training grid, as mapped out later on this page.

The Parks Team team are also proposing to introduce community use of the Tangley Park Road former Ambulance Station (located on the edge of Hampton Common). 

Tangley Park Old Ambulance Station

In December 2022, the Parks Team sought direct feedback from neighbouring homes regarding the placement of a portaloo within the former Ambulance Station (for weekend football use during September to May only). Since the placement of this facility, there have been no complaints regarding the use of the building or any reports of anti-social behaviour.

The Parks Team is now looking to establish formal facilities in this Council building and are proposing to add the following facilities to the building:

• Accessible toilet
• Internal storage area

We would like to make these facilities permanent which will remove the need for the portaloo inside the building. The establishment of these permanent facilities would greatly benefit and support the grass roots football teams using Hampton Common.

The yellow star on the image below shows the location of the Tangley Park Road former Ambulance Station.

Football Pitches

In 2023, the Council published its 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 feedback from the previous consultation held from June 23 to July 21, 2021, the Council is proposing adding an additional 9v9 football pitch and a 5v5 training grid.

Grassroots football is thriving locally for both male and female players, but the current facilities in the Hampton area (one 11v11 pitch and one 9v9 pitch) do not meet the growing demand from teams.

The image below shows the location of existing pitches and the new proposed pictures.

As with the previous consultation, the proposal is to create an additional football pitch and a training grid on Hampton Common to increase provision, with a particular focus on growing girls' grass roots football in the borough. Women's football is rapidly growing internationally, and we aim to provide sporting opportunities for all, recognising the health benefits sport brings to individuals and the community.

The 9v9 pitch would be used by age groups up to 13 years, primarily focusing on female participants. However, the facility would be bookable by any teams through the Council’s sports booking service, subject to existing bookings and capacity.

The existing 9v9 pitch has removable goals with covered sockets when not in use. The proposed new pitch will have similar goals to ensure the Common area remains open when games are not being played. The 5v5 training grid will be a line-marked box for individual team training sessions to avoid overplaying the pitch areas.

To address parking issues, we will direct visiting players to the car park on Tangley Park Road and encourage home players to use active and green travel options. Car sharing is also encouraged to reduce vehicle movements.

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

The results will be analysed and reported to understand if there is support for the proposal. If there is support, we will implement the pitches for the next football season (September) and work towards upgrading the ambulance bay ahead of the season next year.