A south London council has agreed to enter talks to facilitate the sale of Greenwich Equestrian Centre to the community.
The much-loved venue's future remains uncertain however, as the council acknowledged its intended use might not continue if placed on the open market.
Greenwich Council decided to dispose of the centre last November after it closed down earlier in the year. The council want to use the money from the sale to plug its growing budget gap.
The sale announcement was met with significant community backlash, with many borough residents campaigning to save the £1.6million centre that only opened 12 years ago.
One of the campaign leaders is Dr Barry Gray of the Woodlands Farm Trust. He spoke at last week's full meeting of Greenwich Council about the progress the campaign had made. Woodlands Farm is right next to the equestrian centre and Dr Gray described it as "the largest community operated and owned farm in the United Kingdom".
The farm trust, alongside the Greenwich Equestrian Community Group led by former centre user and businesswoman Tao Baker, hopes to purchase the venue and save it from redevelopment. Ms Baker believes the centre could offer an additional revenue stream to the borough as "its the only rehab facility [for horses] of its kind in the UK".
Dr Gray presented a petition with 3,500 signatures opposing the equestrian centre's disposal to the council and went on to list the centre's different distinctions. It's an Olympic legacy project, it's on Metropolitan Open Land, it's a Site of Metropolitan Importance (the recognition of a site of ecological or natural significance within London), and an area of nature conservation importance, all of which Dr Gray said should give the site "cast iron protection from development".
He added: "Looking at those accolades, most boroughs I would think in London would be proud to have such an area and they would celebrate it. Unfortunately. In the financial crisis Greenwich is facing and the wild-eyed panic which ensued, it was put on the list for disposal."
Dr Gray said the "latest blow" to the centre's future was having the campaign's application to have the site recognised as an asset of community value (ACV) turned down by Greenwich Council. ACV status gives community groups first refusal in the event the site is put up for sale on the open market.
He said: "Who on Earth would not want to give this place the status of an asset of community value? Who in their right mind would want to run the risk of building a block of flats right in the middle of it? We put a lot of work into that application, it was a very long application. We got a decision letter which was two thirds of a side of A4. It is rubbish."
Dr Gray claimed the council's reasons for refusal were legally deficient in 10 parts. He said the campaign was "on the warpath" after the application was turned down, but he was now able to report good news as the council had agreed to start informal talks about a potential sale.
Dr Gray said the campaigners had spoken to many national charitable organisations and had been invited to apply for funding to help buy the site. One of these organisations is Farms for City Children. Set up by author Michael Morpurgo nearly 50 years ago, the charity wants to set up a residential area on the farm so it can host visits for children from deprived areas.
Dr Gray asked councillors for "time, patience and support" so that the campaign could draw up plans and raise the necessary funds in order to afford the site purchase. He said: "We are so pleased that at last, the hostility is dying down and we will hopefully be able to come to an agreement about the future of the site which benefits the whole community."
Cllr Matt Hartley, Leader of the opposition at Greenwich, also alleged there had been "extreme hostility" towards the community campaign to save the centre, from the council. He said: "It is hard to think of a site in this borough that is more deserving of the status of an asset of community value than both the farm and the equestrian centre."
Cllr Hartley was "very pleased" to hear that a meeting was on the cards and he called upon the council to "give residents and the community the time they need to develop a proposal".
Cllr Tamasin Rhymes, who chiefly ran her election campaign on attempting to save the centre from disposal, called the centre "an absolute gem". She added: "I think it would be a crushing blow to lose that resource and there are a huge number of people vastly invested in the site."
In response to Dr Gray's deputation, the council's Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development, Majid Rahman, said it was a "shame" to hear the word 'hostility' being used. Cllr Rahman said: "I know officers work very hard to make sure what they do is in line with regulation policies, and sometimes it may not seem as human as it should be. This is where us politicians come in and break that barrier."
Cllr Rahman was keen to engage in talks and "really understand the opportunity" of selling the equestrian centre to the community. He said: "We look forward to that discussion, but we just want to make it clear that there is no predetermination here. If it does go to market, we don't know who will buy it. It could be operated as an equestrian centre, but it depends on who buys it."
Ms Baker was "delighted" that the meeting was happening, but she still fears it has come a year too late and is frustrated that Greenwich Council didn't consider the community when it first decided on the sale.
