Plans to bring land near Luton school into community use 'on hold' amid security fears

The area of open space in Culverhouse Road, borders William Austin Infant School and Greenside Nursery, although it comes under the remit of William Austin Junior School.

A 73-signature petition was submitted to the borough council asking for a safe space to be created with exercise equipment and for the land to be tidied up, according to a report to its petitions and representations board.

This would “support the community with staying active, and benefit the health and wellbeing of residents”, said the report.

The petition was “from parents, residents and members of the local community, who value the green area and see it as an important part of our neighbourhood”.

The petitioners say the area “is often left with overgrown grass and litter, which makes it unattractive and unsafe at times for children and families”.

LBC’s head of property Mark Davie told the board: “The petition was received in October 2025 asking for the plot of land to be maintained and for it to be made available as recreational space for the local community.

“Although the council is the freehold owner of the land, we don’t control it,” he explained. “It’s a school playing field and is part of William Austin Junior School.

“To comply with the request of the petition, which we think is a good idea, we approached the junior school to ask whether it would be willing to allow this land to be opened up.

“The junior school was neither for nor against, but suggested it would require permission from the infant school and the nursery. They expressed reservations around potential inappropriate use and anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and the leaving of refuse.

“But they agreed to refer it to their governing bodies. We were asked whether CCTV could be installed or the perimeter fencing could be upgraded between the land and the infant school.

“That’s not within our budgets this year, unfortunately. The infant school governing body has now agreed unanimously to refuse consent for the land to be opened up for public use.

“The other part of the petition was that we maintain the land and keep it clean,” he added. “I’m happy to arrange for regular grass cutting.

“It’s technically not our responsibility to maintain, but we decided to do that in response to the petition.”

Liberal Democrat South councillor Steve Stephens asked whether money can be found within council budgets next year to provide security measures, which might reassure the governing bodies.

Labour Saints councillor Saima Hussain said: “It’s a good space and a shame we’re not accessing it.

“It’s a perfect spot for some cycling, some benches or gardening for the children. I was quite disappointed. The space is open to abuse because it’s unkempt.

“It was cut back once because we complained, but then someone broke the padlock on the gates. Just to maintain an open space doesn’t make too much sense. It’s a shame we haven’t got the money this year.”

Councillors agreed to the council maintaining the land and checking the availability of security funding. Labour Farley councillor Dave Taylor, who chairs the board, said: “There’s still hope that all’s not lost in the future.”