I have often written about Regents Park in central London and how it provides me and so many other people with so much pleasure all years around.

But now can you believe that there are advanced proposals to devastate centuries old woodland to make way for some astroturf football pitches and a bar?!

The Royal Parks, a government agency, and Goals Soccer Centres, a private company, have applied to Westminster City Council for planning permission for the development of 10 five-a-side artificial football pitches with changing rooms, cafe and bar.

The proposed development site lies in mature woodland and meadow just to the west of the existing golf and tennis school, which the Royal Parks has already closed. The golf and tennis school has been in Regent’s Park for nearly 100 years.

The proposed five-a-side soccer centre is strongly opposed by at least 4000 local people including The Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, members of The Golf and Tennis School, The Marylebone Society, The Marylebone Association, The St John’s Wood Society, The Primrose Hill Community Association and The Regents Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee to name but a few.

The Friends of Regent’s Park have launched a campaign against the proposals, not because they are against football, but because they believe the park is the wrong location for such a development.

Needless to say, I fully support the Friends of Regent’s Park – the park and its woodland should be saved for our future generations and not used for a short term revenue generating plan which will forever create an ugly concrete blot within the park.

Please add your voice in protest at this scheme by signing the petition at www.friendsofregentspark.org

Click on the petition link and it will give you the opportunity to voice your objection by email.

Please kindly also tell as many people as you can to voice their objection. Let us save our parks for our future generations.