Transition Town Kingston

Hawker Centre’s proposal, September 2026, to install artificial grass and floodlighting on their playing field, changes that will harm local wildlife, their habitats, foraging and connectivity - below are some points you are welcome to use in your response:

• The Hawker Centre grounds are Metropolitan Open Land and next to the riverside green spaces (including a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation).
• Artificial grass would damage the natural food chain and destroy the grassland habitat and foraging of invertebrates and birds.
• The planned development would destroy wildlife connectivity between the riverside green spaces and local trees, hedgerows, grass verges and gardens.
• Floodlighting would disrupt the night-time foraging and movement of local nocturnal protected species such as bats and badgers, as well as disturbing birds roosting in Hawker Centre trees and others nearby.
• Kingston's Biodiversity Action Plan (https://www.kingston.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/parks-sports-and-activities/nature-reserves-and-local-biodiversity/kingstons-biodiversity-action-plan) aims "to benefit the community by protecting and enhancing our local habitats and the species they contain, thereby improving the natural environment. Kingston Council is committed to delivering against both the climate emergency and the ecological emergency. The plan states that we will support, develop and empower community activity to increase nature conservation projects, develop further tree planting and rewilding schemes..." Synthetic grass and floodlighting cannot possibly improve the natural environment or even conserve the biodiversity already there on the Hawker Centre site.
• Kingston Council’s Climate Action Strategy - https://www.kingston.gov.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/Climate_Action_Strategy_24_30_accessible_.pdf - includes: “The power of nature and greenspaces to be harnessed as a tool to combat climate change is being increasingly accepted in both academic and political circles. Having functional ecosystems and green infrastructure within an urbanised/suburban environment which support a wealth of biodiversity will help to increase our resilience to climate change and effectively help future-proof the borough for the challenges ahead. As set out in the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and Green Spaces Strategy, Kingston is determined to be a leading borough that takes a prominent role in protecting the natural environment.”
• Transition Town Kingston’s Kingston WildWays project aims to encourage and normalise greener, wilder parks, gardens, roadside verges and green spaces in Kingston and to improve the wildlife connectivity between them. We had been hoping that the Hawker Centre green space could become part of Kingston WildWays, but that would be impossible if such damaging plans were approved and implemented.