Mark Camley was answering questions from Murad Qureshi, Labour’s environment spokesman on the London Assembly. Murad probed the chief executive about the possibility of more pitches in Hyde Park to counter the loss of playing fields across London and to help increase sports participation. 

But Mr Camley said the Royal Parks already host a variety of pitches and sporting provisions. “More formal sports would mean less informal sports”, he said.

Environment spokesman for the London Assembly Labour Group, Murad Qureshi said: “We are all in favour of retaining the general character of the Royal Parks but we should capitalise on their potential for providing more sporting facilities. London needs more playing fields and the changes to who runs the parks gives us a perfect opportunity to look at this again.”

Murad has long been a supporter of more playing fields and pitches in the Royal Parks having led an Assembly investigation into the loss of playing fields in 2006.

Ends.

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a London-wide Assembly Member and Chair of the London Assembly Environment committee.

Earlier this year, the Department for Culture Media and Sport set out  its objective to transfer control of the Royal Parks to the Greater London Authority. But in July the Heritage Minister, John Penrose MP, announced that he now intended to create a new Royal Parks Board giving the Mayor power to appoint the Chair and other members of the Board.  More details about the new governance structure were released today.

It emerged only this week from the charity London Playing Fields Foundation that at least eight fields around the capital were in danger of being lost due to a change in planning laws which would make it easier to build on them.

For further information please contact Nikki Salih on 0207 983 4363