Open letter sent to school in field fencing row

Residents have signed an open letter pleading with a school to accept a compromise on playing fields and put an end to a five-year row.

Peterborough city councillors recently agreed to lease a section of Werrington Fields to the Ken Stimpson Academy, albeit a smaller section than the academy trust said it would accept, which has left the authority open to a possible legal challenge from the trust.

The Four Cs Academy Trust said it would accept fencing off 77% of the fields for educational use, but an amendment voted through by councillors on 13 March reduced this to 63.5%.

Residents' campaign group, Save Werrington Fields, stated it was also prepared to go to court if necessary.

More than 170 people from Werrington recently signed the open letter to the academy trust, asking them to accept the proposal put forward by the council on 13 March.

The letter reads: "The councillors voted for compromise. For Werrington residents this is still a huge loss.

"And while we want to ensure that access to green space is maintained from Foxcovert Road and Ainsdale Drive, it is a compromise we are willing to accept to resolve this issue, for the sake of everyone – including our children and family members who are students at Ken Stimpson.

"Four Cs Academy Trust has recently stated its intention to oppose the compromise.

"However, as a school with a long history with the community, we sincerely hope that the wishes of the full council, the neighbourhood council, the MP and the 800 plus members of the Save Werrington Fields group will be heard and respected."

Werrington Fields has been used as a shared community space for decades, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The land stopped being used as school playing fields in about 2021 due to documented safeguarding concerns related to the risks of contact between pupils and members of the public, who continue to use the land both during and outside of school hours.

The open letter also stated that if no compromise could be reached with the academy, the Save Werrington Fields group would "seek legal advice as to our next steps given that no planning permission has been obtained, public rights of way will be obstructed, as well as seeking advice to whether a judicial review is appropriate".

Ken Stimpson Academy has been approached for comment regarding the open letter, by both the BBC and the LDRS.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.