Perivale Park Gold Club “astonished” by “the appalling way” Ealing Council acting towards local residents

Locals trying to save Perivale golf course, planned for closure by Labour-run Ealing Council to use the land as part of a new regional park, have told Ealing councillors they are “astonished at the appalling way you are acting towards the local Ealing Borough residents”. 

A letter from the Perivale Park Golf Club has now been sent to every councillor as well as to the senior management team at Ealing Council.

It comes after a meeting on 6 March 2024 between the executive committee of Perivale Park Golf Club and Ealing Council’s deputy leader and climate action cabinet member Deidre Costigan along with cabinet member for thriving communities Polly Knewstub.

Club members they are “astonished” as to what Ealing Council intend doing regarding their much-loved home golf course on Perivale Park.

Club spokesperson Leslie Glancy told EALING.NEWS: “This is ridiculous. Ealing Council has now told us that they intend converting our course back into a park. At least we were thinking that our sacrifice would be for a new and exciting regional park. It seems now it will just be a case of the Ealing Labour group ticking off on if their manifesto pledges.”

A copy of the letter the club sent is below:

“From Perivale Park Golf Club committee to Ealing Labour Group plus senior management team Ealing Council.

“We are sorry to write to all of you, but we are astonished at the appalling way you are acting towards the local Ealing Borough residents.
After six months of telling the public the closure of Perivale Park Golf Course was the first necessary step in the creation of the new regional park, we now understand that all that is going to happen is that Ealing’s only accessible, affordable, flat nine hole local community asset golf course is going to become an extension of the existing park.

“At a briefing meeting on Wednesday 6th March Councillors Costigan and Knewstub informed the Perivale Park Golf Club committee team the golf course will be turned over to parkland in order to help meet the Labour manifesto promise of creating 10 new parks in the borough. They are also proposing to close the park’s cafe in September 2024.

“The Labour council, having spent thousands of rate payers money publicising the much needed ‘New Regional Park ‘, have decided to close this 100 year old local community asset. Perivale ‘Park’ golf course is already a public park. People walking their dogs across the course constantly remind golfers of that fact. There is no need whatsoever to close the course. Unfortunately, Ealing Labour councillors seem to see golf as an elitest middle class sport for voters who do not deserve any consideration. Ealing Labour council is helping in continuing to promote this myth by closing yet another affordable for all local community municipal facility. Ealing Labour council have disregarded that Perivale Park is ideally suited for the low income older golfer, as well as grassroot sport for younger people who want to learn how to play. The council’s own figures confirm an average of 80 rounds of golf are played on the course every day. Perivale Park Golf course / cafe provides exercise and companionship for the multicultural cross section community of Ealing residents especially the elderly. The golfers / walkers in fact outnumber other park users.

“Ealing Labour council had, through its own ‘Around Ealing’ rag and flawed consultation process, given the impression that closing Perivale Park golf course / cafe would help in creating the new ‘Regional Park’.

“As it is now revealed, this is not the case at all.

“It seems now it will just be a case of Ealing Labour council ticking off one of their manifesto pledges. There are already over 140 public parks in Ealing borough. Honestly, do you really believe that when you said you would create ten new parks the public were going to swallow the idea that the existing 100 year old Perivale Park wasn’t in fact a park already..!”