Sheffield Primary School Seeks Park Lease Citing Lack of Green Space

A primary school in Sheffield has submitted a request to lease a section of a municipal park for use as playing fields. Phillimore Park Community Primary School, located in Darnall, seeks “exclusive” occupation of a portion of the adjacent Phillimore Park, as detailed in a report from Sheffield Council. This document, scheduled for discussion by a council sub-committee on Monday, notes that the school possesses a “limited amount of outdoor space and no access to green space within school grounds”. Phillimore Park is among 17 open spaces within Sheffield managed by a charitable trust, with the city council serving as its sole trustee. The report indicates that the charity’s objectives mandate the parkland’s use “for the purposes of public recreation”, thereby necessitating “reasonable public access”. The report further stated: “The proposal to lease part of the land to the school would grant a legal title and exclusive occupation to the school. “Therefore, the proposal would prevent the public from accessing part of the park during school hours, reserving access only to the school and specific community groups and would not meet the park’s charitable objectives.” To address this issue, one potential solution involves exchanging the land intended for lease to the school with alternative green space in the vicinity, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Any appropriate substitute land would be required to be of at least comparable size and of equal or superior quality. The council had previously considered issuing a licence for the school to utilize the area, which, as the report noted, would circumvent all legal complexities. Nevertheless, concerns were raised by the school regarding loose dogs, dog waste, and unrestricted public access during periods of school use.