Royal Parks back down on sports fee

The Royal Parks have temporarily suspended a controversial fee which forced charity softball players to pay to play in a Royal Park.

Lawyers for the London Charity Softball League (LCSL), which estimated it may have to pay £6,000 in charges to access Hyde Park, had threatened to take legal action against the newly-introduced fee.

Royal Parks (RP), the agency responsible for looking after London's eight Royal Parks, said the fees are suspended until a decision - which is expected by Christmas - is made.

People who want to play organised sport at the Old Football Pitch area in London's Hyde Park will now not be charged while a review of the site takes place, a spokesman said.

RP's director of parks and deputy chief executive Colin Buttery described the fees, which were introduced in March, as "modest charges" aimed at managing bookings and the area "more effectively, promote fair usage and ensure that anyone wishing to operate a sporting event or league gets the opportunity to do so in an organised way."

He said: "Although some consultation about the charging regime was undertaken prior to its introduction The Royal Parks has taken the decision to suspend the charges and undertake wider consultation before re-considering its decision."

Hyde Park covers 350 acres and is home to a number of famous landmarks including the Serpentine Lake, Speakers' Corner and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. Sports such as open water swimming, boating, cycling, tennis and horse riding are also held there.

Softball players will still have to book to use the Old Football Pitch.

LCSL, which was set up with nine teams by charity fundraiser Leo Visconti 10 years ago, now boasts 68 teams.