'Shutting us down': outrage at bowls club over Slough council parking consultation

Fears are mounting that a long-standing Cippenham sports club could be forced to close if Slough council pushes ahead with controversial car parking reforms.

Members of Cippenham Bowls Club say proposed changes to parking at Cippenham Recreation Ground Car Park – introducing a maximum two-hour cap on parking – could spell ruin for the club.

Worries that bowlers could face fines for outstaying the two-hour limit, which is shorter than most competitive games, mean the club’s recreation ground home turf will become untenable.

Bowls England, the sport’s national governing body, has also weighed in and put on record its support for the plight of Cippenham Bowls Club.

A council spokesperson told the Express officials were ‘in the final stages of our analysis’ and a decision ‘would be made soon’.

There are around 50 registered members at Cippenham Bowls Club, which was founded in 1991, but attendances can be closer to 100 when visiting teams arrive for competitive fixtures and other events.

The club relies on the recreation ground car park for access, as many members are elderly and do not live within walking distance.

The council said car parking changes were needed ‘to deter abuse of the car parks from commercial operators and commuters, which has led to anti-social behaviour’.

But dozens of objections have already been submitted to its car parking consultation, which ended on October 3, including from Cippenham Bowls Club president and member for 21 years Joan Devonshire.

She warned that if the parking restrictions go ahead, the council would be directly responsible for causing the closure of what she described as a ‘lifeline’ sports facility.

“Without extra parking hours we will lose a lot of our members, as many don’t live within walking distance of the club,” Ms Devonshire’s letter said.

“This club is a lifeline for a lot of them.

“Many of our members are of the older generation, I am over 80 and this is one of the few sports that we can actively be included in.”

She said the changes ‘will be effectively shutting us down’ and added: “Yet another amenity will be lost for good.”

Bowls England, the sport’s national governing body, has also issued a letter of support for the club, in addition to the regional authority Buckinghamshire Bowls Association.

Its letter said the car parking changes ‘risk undermining… the viability of the bowls club and the association’s ability to fulfil its mission of promoting the sport and enabling competition’.

“Bowls England is committed to ensuring clubs like Cippenham can continue to function effectively,” the letter added. We recognise how critical access, local infrastructure, and municipal cooperation are to grassroots sport.”

The Express asked Slough Borough Council when a decision on the consultation would be made, and if it was ‘prepared to work with the club to find a solution’ to the parking problem.

A spokesperson for the local authority responded: “We ran the consultation to give people the opportunity to say how these proposed changes would affect them.

“We are at the final stages of our analysis and will be making a decision on the changes soon.”