St. Olaves Playing Fields, Greendale

[creditwheredue]

Looking extremely shabby these days, grass a foot high. Is it now abandoned. Prime land for redevelopment?

[hammerman]

It's the time of year when grass suddenly starts growing wildly if not kept under control. Maybe their greenkeeper hasn't got round to it yet.

[Guest]

Was told by a lawnsmen on Friday that grass is second seeding itself already, apparently it is early in the season for this to be happening.

[creditwheredue]

hammerman Wrote:

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> It's the time of year when grass suddenly starts

> growing wildly if not kept under control. Maybe

> their greenkeeper hasn't got round to it yet.

It?s a school playing field for christ?s sake, at this time of year it?s normally marked out for a running track.

[northernmonkey]

It?s such a shame that a school miles away has that land and busses kids in for about an hour a week and the rest of the time it?s empty. Meanwhile charter east have to go past it to head to the Griffin Sports ground in Dulwich Village. Feels a missed opportunity to share!

[Penguin68]

There is a strong move not to mow in the early summer/ late spring to allow growth to support wildlife. Long grass is no longer a sign of neglect, but may be of careful management.

[heartblock]

Yes maybe Southwark buys that land and gifts it to the residents of East Dulwich to replace Greendale land that we currently use to play football, volleyball etc. play with the kids and use for recreation...which will disappear soon. Or half for recreation and half a wildlife area. I?m bored of private schools in this area - creating traffic mayhem and owning huge swathes of green space. The residents get a raw deal.

[legalalien]

I have heard that the charitable trust that owns the field is in the process of exploring options to make more / better use of it for youth education/ sports etc. in some capacity as it doesn't really work for the school given its location. From a quick google the St Olaves and St Saviours Foundation is linked to the Dulwich Estate https://www.thedulwichestate.org.uk/about-us/who-we-support/st-saviour-s-and-st-olave-s-schools-foundation. The school that uses it is a local authority maintained, voluntary aided school according to this?

What I would say is that leasing and maintaining a sports ground is expensive and trying to bring in sufficient income to cover costs is no mean feat. While specialist grounds maintenance contractors are paid, pretty much everything else at the charities that operate the grounds in DV that I am familiar with, is done by volunteers.

If anyone has brilliant ideas for the ground and a burning desire to set something up there, I'd suggest contacting the trust and finding out more!

[sunbob]

At least one local primary use it for their sports day. Up until the last month I've seen the groundsman there almost daily, which fits with the push not to mow during this period. Early on misty mornings you can often see foxes relaxing there.

[Sally Eva]

St Saviours and St Olaves CofE secondary school uses the field and has refused attempts to buy the lease.

There is also a St Olaves https://www.saintolaves.net/# in Orpington. The history of the school https://www.saintolaves.net/21/history-of-the-school page sets out the relationship between the two schools

[northernmonkey]

Which local primary uses it? Bessemer use JAGS, goose green use Alleyns. Not sure about Heber and Goodrich but it?s starting to get a bit far away!

[Nigello]

No-mow May is perhaps the reason.

[oliviaandmilo]

Yes a recent realisation is to not mow too quickly as lots of new things grow! Won't be long before the primary schools sports days will mow that away!!!

[heartblock]

I wish they would leave it to go a bit wild...good for widelife.

[northernmonkey]

They were mowing it today

[DKH_Friends]

DKH used to use it up until a few years ago but our sports days are now held at Alleyns.

[Soylent Green]

northernmonkey Wrote:

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> Which local primary uses it? Bessemer use JAGS,

> goose green use Alleyns. Not sure about Heber and

> Goodrich but it?s starting to get a bit far away!

Dog Kennel Hill and St John's and St Clements both use these fields and I think the Charter Schools use the fields for PE too

[legalalien]

The Charter Schools now use the Griffin in DV as far as I know.

[northernmonkey]

It would make sense for Charter to use them but they don?t- they walk all the way over to the Griffin. Meanwhile DKH don?t use it any more and I?d be surprised if SKSC did either.

Sounds like it?s pretty much unused most of the time which is just ridiculous (as is budding the kids from St Olaves to it)

[Earl Aelfheah]

northernmonkey Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It?s such a shame that a school miles away has

> that land and busses kids in for about an hour a

> week and the rest of the time it?s empty.

> Meanwhile charter east have to go past it to head

> to the Griffin Sports ground in Dulwich Village.

> Feels a missed opportunity to share!

Definitely would make sense for Charter ED to share it.

[heartblock]

We should occupy the land and free it for the people of East Dulwich.

[legalalien]

The question still comes as to where the ??? comes from. I'm pretty sure that the cost of upkeep would be beyond the budget of state schools alone. So some sort of alternative (commercial?) funding source needed. Which, given it's MoL and there can't be additional buildings, means finding a way to make money out of the green space. Challenging, but not impossible (probably) - but again - likely to require a fair amount of volunteer input to make it fly...

[sunbob]

For a while Charter ED used the field next to it on the opposite side of the footpath. I'm glad they don't still have to, as that field seems to be the sump of the area and when regularly run around on was supremely muddy and slippery.