Boost for rugby star's bid to save games field

A campaign to save community playing fields earmarked for development has been given a huge cash boost.

Former England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio and environmental campaigner and would-be Tory MP Zac Goldsmith are among those fighting Richmond council's plans to sell the 5.5-acre Barn Elms site.

Now residents' campaign group Barnes Vision has been promised £1.5million of the £2.4 million needed for its plans to refurbish the site and stop the sale.

Some of the money has been pledged by an unnamed local independent school.

The council argues that selling off a quarter of the land is the only way it can afford to upgrade the rest of the rundown recreation grounds next to Barnes Wetlands Centre. But the residents say the land belongs to the community and should not be built on. Nowa charitable trust and the school have committed to part-fund Barnes Vision's proposals.

The London Marathon Charitable Trust is willing to pay about £500,000 needed for the first phase, which includes renovating the running track.

The school, which does not want to be identified, has pledged £1 million for phase two, which includes the building of two pavilions. Its promise is driven by the need for suitable playing fields for its pupils. The campaign group is confident of raising the other £900,000 it needs.

Nicole Pound of Barnes Vision called the trust and school "ideal partners" and added: "The trust believes the need to protect Barn Elms is significant and has recommended that additional funds are sought from Sports England and the Football Association."

In 1999, it purchased its first playing fields as a way of keeping land for sport. The London Marathon Playing Fields in Greenwich are now used as an FA regional mini-soccer centre. The trustees have established a "war chest" of funds to enable the purchase of more.

Mr Goldsmith, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park and north Kingston, said today: "Barnes Vision has made huge progress in a very short time. It would be appalling for the council to pull the rug out now."

A Richmond spokesman said: "The council remains 100 per cent committed to providing first-class public sports facilities at Barn Elms."