Residents living near a South London borough’s largest park have called for it to be closed at night following a spate of crimes in the area, including a fatal stabbing.
Lewisham Council opened up Beckenham Place Park to locals 24 hours a day a few years back and stopped locking many gates to the park, as well as removing some gates and fences entirely.
But residents who live near the 98 hectares park, which features a swimming lake and 18th century mansion, say the 24 hour policy is attracting criminals to the area and making the park feel dangerous.
Last summer, a man died after being stabbed in the neck in the park during the early hours of the morning.
In May this year a woman said she was raped in nearby Warren Avenue Playing Fields, which is less than a 15 minute walk from Beckenham Place Park.
The fields are in Bromley, but like the park is owned by Lewisham Council.
Residents also say they’ve heard neighbours complain of an uptick in drug dealing and antisocial behaviour around the park.
Rod Reed, a landscape gardener who lives nearby, said he wanted to see the park locked at night and increased security patrols.
Mr Reed, 63, said: “I was in favour of opening up the park but nobody wanted a 24 hour park.
“We didn’t anticipate it was going to be a free for all and anyone could come in the middle of the night.
“It seems to be something they introduced during the pandemic and there was no consultation at all. The thing we pointed out to them is it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
He added: “We’ve had reports of drug dealing and people aren’t happy that public safety has been compromised. You can’t see something on CCTV if they are wearing hoodies.
“We are saying: have some patrols in the early evening, close the gates and restore the security that we had.”
Many local residents like Mr Reed live in neighbouring Bromley and feel Lewisham Council has sidelined their concerns because they don’t live in the borough.
Beckenham resident Rebecca, who declined to give her surname, said: “I don’t know why the council wanted to do that [introduce 24 hours access] given they put a huge lake in it.
“I suppose Lewisham Council can say we don’t have to consult with residents of Lewisham because we aren’t their council.
“There’s a question of perception. If it feels dangerous most people aren’t going to want to hang out there and people who are up to no good are more likely to go there.”
She added that the peaceful atmosphere of the park has changed since it became 24 hours, with large crowds gathering and cooking food on portable BBQs.
The park’s lake opened up to swimmers in 2019 following a £4.9 million restoration funded by the National Lottery. But the council had to temporarily close the park just four days after the lake opened to the public, when two children almost drowned in separate incidents at the lake.
The swimming lake is monitored by CCTV but residents fear people could still sneak into it after hours.
Bromley Liberal Democrat councillor, Chloe-Jane Ross, said residents living near the park felt their concerns were being ignored by Lewisham Council. She said: “The majority of residents whose homes back onto the park live in the London Borough of Bromley and they feel they have no voice because it’s managed by the Borough of Lewisham.
“I’m aware that there are some residents calling for the park to be closed. I would like to see the park have much more lighting and CCTV and for the entrances and exits to be well lit. There’s no doubt that as it gets dark it can feel quite unsafe.”
Lewisham Council said it took concerns about safety in the park “extremely seriously” and had dedicated staff on site everyday, as well as additional security during peak times such as bank holiday weekends and during warmer weather.
A council spokesperson added: “The main vehicular access on Beckenham Hill is locked at night.
“The vehicle gate at the lower end of the park close to the properties on the Beckenham Place Park Road is locked at all times unless there are exceptional circumstances.
“Any change to the locking regime could negatively impact many park users who enjoy the current access arrangements that allow them to use the park before 8am.
“We are planning to hold a community meeting at Beckenham Place Park very soon to listen to all views from our park users.”
