Lewisham Council is set to transfer the management of Whitefoot Lane Playing Fields to Bonus Pastor Catholic College, following a decision made at the Mayor and Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 22 October 2025. The decision, documented in the Transfer of Whitefoot Lane Playing Fields to Bonus Pastor School Report, delegates negotiation and agreement responsibilities regarding the terms of the lease to the Executive Director of Children and Young People (CYP), Councillor Edison Huynh. This move aims to address a funding gap that has arisen due to the cessation of Department of Education funding for the site's maintenance.
Councillor Huynh explained that the cost of maintaining Whitefoot Lane, around £70-80,000, had previously been covered by the Department of Education. With this funding ending, the council sought a solution to ensure the playing fields continue to be maintained. He clarified the existing arrangement, stating, This report is therefore about codifying what has been an arrangement for the last 20 years where Burns Pasta has been the primary user of these playing fields.
Concerns about community access to the playing fields have been raised. While the specific terms of the lease to guarantee community access are not yet defined, as the heads of terms have not yet been drawn up, Councillor Huynh reassured residents that safeguarding community use and use by other local schools would be a priority when drafting the terms of the arrangement and inserting the relevant clauses.
It has always been our intention to safeguard community use and use by other local schools through drafting the terms of arrangement and inserting the relevant clauses,
he stated, adding that he and Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director of CYP, would meet with concerned parties to discuss the matter further.
Terry Archbold, secretary of an archery club that has used the Whitefoot Lane fields for over 20 years, spoke at the meeting to express concerns about the potential impact on the club. He said that the club had been notified that their license to use the field would be ended if the school took over management and they would need to renegotiate an agreement with the school. He asked that the council honour previous commitments made to the club as discussions with the school progressed.
Mayor Brenda Dacres acknowledged the concerns raised, particularly regarding the archery club, and expressed interest in learning more about it. She reiterated that the decision was just the beginning of the conversation. Councillor Huynh added that he would always put the needs of Lewisham's children first and was happy to continue the conversation as negotiations move forward.
