The members of the golf club will stage their third protest outside Perceval House on Wednesday (17 January 2024) at 4pm.
Club captain Harvindar Joshi told EALING.NEWS: “The golf course and club have provided physical, mental and social benefits to the local community for nearly 100 years. It’s somewhere where golfers of all ages and ethnicity can hold their heads up and say this is where I belong”.
Mr Joshi added that Ealing Council cabinet portfolio holders, – Councillor Polly Newstub, cabinet member for thriving communities and Councillor Deirdre Costigan, cabinet member for climate action – have been told that “Perivale Park Golf Course is too important a community asset to be sacrificed before a full business case is approved for the regional park scheme”.
Talking about the recent public consultation Ealing launched on the regional park and future of the course, Mr Joshi supported the whole club’s view that: “It’s quite obvious a lot of creativity has been used by Ealing to promote their regional park idea but, no matter how many dreamy soft focus pictures of (let’s face it) mostly young attractive people they used, they must realise that if they close this golf course they will destroy part of the continuing social fabric of the London Borough of Ealing.”
The club members claim that while the public consultation was going on, consultants were already working on behalf of Ealing Council. The club has also made a freedom of information (FOI) request about this. They are also asking for details of the numbers of people responding to their public consultation and claim previous requests made under FOI have been delayed or not answered.
Ealing Council said in a September 2023 statement it “will soon appoint specialists to develop more detailed plans for the regional park, which may include a comprehensive review of the golf facilities across the borough. In line with the council’s commitment to be open and transparent, residents and key stakeholders will be consulted on proposals before any decision is made, and the first public consultation will be on the possible closure of Perivale Park Golf Course.”
