In 1816 an Irish family owned a farm estate with a Windmill, a house and a lovely garden. John Ashby was a rare plants enthusiast and member of the Royal Botanical Society

In 1943 the windmill and garden were protected as Open Space and in 1957 all was bought by the London County Council. On another part of the same estate the Brixton Waterworks had been built. The workers dug allotment plots and grew their vegetables, they also played cricket and football on the sports ground next to the allotments.

Today the waterworks has been privatised and run by Thames Water/RWE, a German company. They plan to sell off the allotments and Lambeth Council want to buy them for playing fields.

We think this is a BIG mistake because there is a site right next to the allotments, it’s the old sports ground which covers brick vaulted reservoirs and it’s empty, grassed over and unused. Thames Water should offer that land to the Council for our children to play on.

The sports ground is bigger and it’s the right shape for the job, Thames Water have offered other parts of the site for sale: the access to this sports ground is included. If this was done it would mean the Allotments could garden on, and the children could have a beautiful site not feeling they had spoiled our Community.

Lambeth should press Thames Water to release this land NOW and take action if they do not agree. It is protected Open Space. It should be made quite clear to Thames Water that they will NEVER get the right to build on it. We need our green lungs in London for air quality and health and for the animals and birds that live there.