Hillsborough Park's MUGA (multi-use games areas) is a large area of flat ground adjacent to the four tennis courts, near the car park, the new skate park and Penistone Road.

Currently, it is a free-of-charge, easily-accessible, popular and well-used area of our local park, enjoyed by many members of our community, as well as various local charitable groups, such as Cycling 4 All.

As part of a proposed Activity Hub development in Hillsborough Park, Sheffield City Council intend to significantly alter the existing MUGA, reducing its size significantly, enclosing it with fencing and making parts of the new area chargeable.

The Friends of Hillsborough Park understand that the plan is to:

• Move three tennis courts onto the current MUGA 
• Build padel tennis courts
• Build a new café and welfare building
• Create a much smaller and fully-enclosed MUGA on the site of the tennis courts.

The objective of the Activity Hub is to create enough income from pay-to-use activities at Hillsborough to maintain all of the park tennis sites across the city.

This development of a public green space will drastically reduce the free-to-use area and we believe it will disadvantage those people who currently use the MUGA. 

The new, enclosed MUGA will be much smaller and less easy to enter (or leave!).

We believe that moving the tennis courts is designed to facilitate easier access for Tramlines equipment and set up. 

We believe it is a poor use of council funds.  

We believe that this is commercialisation of a public park, with little regard for those people in Hillsborough community who currently use the MUGA for free. With the current cost-of-living crisis, families and communities struggling with high energy bills and high demand for food banks we believe that these plans will leave our community worse off.

As park-users and stakeholders, your voice counts! The council must listen to local people who love and use Hillsborough Park all year-round.

If you are a user of the MUGA and/or agree with us, we would kindly ask you to sign this petition.

Earlier this year, the proposals went to the council's Charities Committee for consideration and members of FoHP were there to present this petition. We secured a delay to the decision-making. 

However, in summer 2023, the pressure is back on.

On 27th July 2023, Sheffield City Council acting as Trustee of Hillsborough Park (reg charity 510841) gave notice that the Charity proposes to dispose (meaning lease) the land including the MUGA (multi use games area). The plan is available under Hillsborough Park here: Open Space Notices

If you disagree with the proposals, please email your thoughts BY NOON on 25th August 2023 to:

ian.wrightson@sheffield.gov.uk

propertyservices@sheffield.gov.uk (addressed to Tammy Whittaker)

and copy in friendsofhillsboroughpark@gmail.com

Thank you!