For more than six years, The Roost Café has been the heart of Chislehurst Recreation Ground. It’s where parents warm up on the sidelines, dog walkers stop for a coffee, friends meet after a walk, and families gather while children play football. It’s not just a café – it’s a community hub.

But now The Roost is at risk of closing for most of the week because of an unfair lease imposed by Bromley Council.

The Roost opened in October 2018 after the local community worked together with FC Elmstead to build a new pavilion for the park. The building cost £369,000, funded almost entirely by community effort and grants:

• Football Foundation – £264,000

• Chislehurst Playing Field Association (CPFA) – £50,000

• London Marathon Charitable Trust – £20,000

• Chislehurst Society – £20,000

• FC Elmstead – £15,000

• Chislehurst Rotary Club – donated the clock tower

Bromley Council did not contribute financially to the build.

Yet under the current lease, the council demands 15% of the café’s turnover once it exceeds £10,000. For a small community café that already covers maintenance, staffing, utilities, and the public toilets used by all park visitors, this charge is simply unsustainable.

As a result, from 31 March, The Roost will be forced to close during the week and open only at weekends during football matches. Outside football season, it may not open at all.

This means:

• The loss of a beloved community meeting place

• No weekday café for park visitors

• Reduced services for families and residents

• Zero income for the council anyway

A fairer lease would allow The Roost to stay open for everyone. FC Elmstead and the Friends of Chislehurst Recreation Ground are simply asking Bromley Council to review the terms and bring them in line with normal arrangements for community enterprises – for example by:

• Increasing the turnover threshold before charges apply

• Reducing the percentage taken by the council

This is a community-built facility, run for the benefit of the public. It deserves fair treatment so it can continue serving the community.

If Bromley Council listens, The Roost can remain open every day as the vibrant hub our park deserves.

Please sign this petition to urge Bromley Council to agree a fair lease and keep The Roost Café open for everyone.

Together, we can protect this special place at the heart of Chislehurst Rec. ☕🌳