Thursday, 13 August 2026

Construction of natural turf sports pitches in Gladstone Park

 Friends of Gladstone Park have passed on this information from Brent Council:

Please find below some information about works for the drainage and construction of natural-turf sports pitches in Gladstone Park – in Gladstone Park Annexe and at the sports training area south of the railway line.
Works are commencing, from Monday 10th August 2026, on the construction of a natural-turf rugby (or potentially for other natural-turf sports) pitch at Gladstone Park Annexe and for the drainage of the existing sports training area in Gladstone Park.
 
Gladstone Park Annexe is located approximately between Parkside (road) and Gladstone Park Gardens Allotments.

The sports training area is located south of the railway line to the west of the Rickyard depot. It is a natural-turf pitch.
 
The contractor is Cleveland Land Services Ltd.
 
The main works are expected to take several months, depending in part on the weather and ground conditions, which will be followed by a longer period of grassland establishment into 2027.
 
The other existing natural-turf sports pitches will remain in use during the construction period.
 
The works will be surrounded by temporary protective fencing. The fencing will not bisect hard-standing paths, for example that at Gladstone Park Annexe. Access for the works in Gladstone Park Annexe will initially be via Oxleys Road but may later use an access via Parkside (road) that is currently being used as a compound area for separate utility works. The compound for the pitch works, will be in Gladstone Park Annexe.
 
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE DECISION 
 

Decision details

Authority to award a contract for the construction of a Natural Turf Rugby Sports Pitch and Sports Training Area with Drainage System at Gladstone Park (non-key officer recordable decision

Decision Maker: Director - Public Realm

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

To request authority to award a contract for the Construction of a Natural Turf Rugby Sports Pitch and Sports Training Area with Drainage System at Gladstone Park.

Decision:

That the Director of Public Realm:

i)               Approves the award of contract for the construction of a Natural Turf Rugby Sports Pitch and Sports Training Area with Drainage System at Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill, London, NW2 to Cleveland Land Services in the sum of £447,347.25.

Reasons for the decision:

The Council requires the provision of construction of a Natural Turf Rugby Sports Pitch and Sports Training Area with Drainage System at Gladstone Park. Officers have undertaken a procurement exercise and identified Cleveland Land Services as the contractor providing the most advantageous offer in accordance with agreed evaluation criteria, and therefore recommend award of a contract to this contractor.

Alternative options considered:

Officers considered whether the Construction of a Natural Turf Rugby Sports Pitch and Sports Training Area with Drainage System could be provided by the Council itself, but concluded that it is best provided by a contractor.

Officers reviewed a range of procurement options including the use of a framework but considered that a tender process was the most appropriate means of procuring the contract.

Wards Affected: Cricklewood & Mapesbury; Dollis Hill; Willesden Green;

Cabinet/Committee Decision or Scheme of Delegation: officer scheme of delegation - non-key officer recordable decision

Parties Consulted: Ward councillors have been updated on progress of the project.

Contact: Leslie Williams, Project Officer Email: Leslie.Williams@brent.gov.uk Tel: 020 8937 5628.

Publication date: 05/08/2026

Date of decision: 05/08/2026

 

 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to see Beent has half a million quid to spend on grass, 0n a field that the rugby club do not even use? And the works started the day after this "decision" was taken... Since when has Brent been so efficient?

Anonymous said...

It’s nice to see a recreation ground being upgraded for recreation. Much better use of a waste of space

Anonymous said...

It was not a waste of space at all! The council is spending £450k to transform a field with some bumps into a flat field, just so the rugby team can have a choice of two pitches. Rugby pitches become a mud mess with rain and usage, so this field which once was a nice swathe of grass will become not such a nice field anymore. Add floodlights that will no doubt disturb wildlife. This space will go from being a recreation ground for all park users to a recreation ground for only a small bunch of them. Long live democracy.

Anonymous said...

This should have been put to local residents so they could have a say in how the grassland was used. It was a lovely piece of parkland where families and individuals could relax and escape the pressures of city life. Now, even that small piece of green space we had has been taken away.

Anonymous said...

We are continually told there is no money for better bins, park wardens or to repurpose the existing Gladstone centre for a community hall:youth club/cafe/loos. Yet suddenly there is all this money to dig up a perfectly good field. It stinks. We residents benefit from the clean air and beautiful nature. I bet 0.001% of residents play rugby. It’s fine for the rugby to have fields - it’s NOT fine for them to get all the money from the magic money tree.
And by the way, park wardens would actually make a nice atmosphere for more people to enjoy. Currently people self- exclude because they don’t want to get run over by e bikes, don’t want to wade through litter and don’t feel comfortable when they’re the only female in normal clothes!