Campaigners lose key battle in school fence row

Campaigners say they have "lost the key battle" in the fight to stop a field once shared by a school and the public from being fenced off.

The Save the Werrington Fields group opposed the building of the fence on the land in Peterborough for more than six years, but work on it has now begun.

Since 2019, the Ken Stimpson Academy has insisted that part of the field must be enclosed for its pupils to play sports, citing safeguarding concerns.

Peterborough City Council's Labour leader Shabina Qayyum said an agreement over the field "allows for use to be varied over time".

The Four Cs Academy Trust, which runs the school, has been contacted for comment.

Campaigner Tony Forster said he was "really sad" to see the 2m (7ft) fence being erected after "giving six and a half years of my life to try to stop this".

He said his group had suffered a "significant defeat" but would continue pushing for public access to the field outside school hours.

Forster said the row "could have been resolved amicably" had the academy agreed to a compromise.

He said he was "stubborn" and did not believe the fight was over.

"I don't think we're giving up, as such," he said.

"We're pushing to try to ensure the community use agreement is reconsidered."

His wife Jan Forster, who has campaigned alongside him, said the "beautiful open space" now lost was "one of the reasons we moved to Werrington".

"I'm outraged that the local community are paying for a fence they didn't want," she said.

The council initially agreed to lease a smaller section of the fields to the school, but later revised this after legal action.

But Werrington resident, the Reverend Alison Williams, said she was "glad" to see the fence being built on the field and "can't see why there is such ill feeling".

"I'm really pleased they are prioritising the wellbeing of the students who attend our secondary school and their safety," she said.

But Diane Harvey, who regularly walks her dog on the fields, said the fencing off of the land "felt like theft". "

"In the summer, there's always children out here playing football," she said.

"It's used, so it's going to be a shame."

The contract between the academy, council and local people allows use of the field under certain circumstances.

Qayyum said: "[It] formalises our commitment to providing opportunities for local community groups or organisations and sports organisations to use the space to participate in sport and physical activity at agreed times.

"These times will be extended during weekends and school holidays to ensure the community has maximum benefit."

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