Local sports facilities opened by Sir Mo Farah under threat
Over the next ten years, plans have been revealed by St Mary’s University that an additional 3700 students are being planned to join the Strawberry Hill Campus.
The student population rising from 5,300 to approximately 9000.
The university is potentially going to build accommodation on local sports facilities including the sports track opened by Sir Mo in 2015.
The loss is sporting facilities isn’t the only issue on local residents’ minds as noise and light pollution, traffic and a loss of a “village-y feel” is also at risk.
Residents have made it clear that while they support local academia, they are against building on Metropolitan Open Land which has been promised not to be developed on.
In 2010 the Sports Centre was built on MOL and now forms an integral part of the local community infrastructure offering sporting facilities to a large number of local children and adults alike.
At the time that the Sports Centre was built, St Mary’s signed a Deed Agreement with Richmond council agreeing that there would be no further development on Metropolitan Open Land.
