Does the proposal reflect public demand?

Why does public demand matter?

The land is held on trust for the benefit of the inhabitants of the former Eton Rural District and adjoining areas.

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When deciding how the land should be used, the Trustee would normally be expected to consider what those beneficiaries actually need and want.

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Replacing one sporting facility with another does not automatically increase public benefit. The question is whether the new mix of facilities better serves the beneficiaries of the Trust.

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What evidence has been published?

The proposal includes a number of new or improved or modified facilities, including:

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• a floodlit 3G pitch,

• refurbished changing facilities with café,

• padel courts,

• enhanced habitats and walking routes.

• a short 9 or 12 hole golf course 

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These may all have merit.

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However, the publicly available documents do not appear to explain why these particular facilities were chosen, nor do they identify the evidence used to demonstrate demand among the Charity's beneficiaries.

No independent needs assessment or local survey has been published.

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Existing demand

The proposal would also reduce or remove facilities that already have established users.

Two golf clubs, together representing around 400 members, would cease to exist in their present form.

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Those users are themselves beneficiaries of the Charity, mostly a demographic group for which the other offers are unsuitable.

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It is therefore reasonable to ask how their sporting needs have been weighed against the benefits expected from the proposed replacement facilities.

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Questions that naturally arise

The proposal also raises several practical questions that are not presently answered in the published material.

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For example:

• What evidence demonstrates demand for additional padel courts, particularly when courts already exist at the golf clubhouse?

• Who would own, manage and operate the proposed new padel facilities?

• What evidence demonstrates demand for a family-oriented short golf course, given that a previous family-oriented short course nearby was closed by the Council approximately ten years ago because it was considered financially unsustainable?

• What evidence shows that the proposed enhanced habitats would become a significant recreational destination for beneficiaries, given their proximity to both the remaining golf course and the proposed training complex, and given there are much larger and more attractive country parks nearby.

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These questions do not suggest that the proposed facilities lack value.

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They simply ask what evidence the Trustee relied upon when concluding that this particular combination of facilities best serves the Charity's beneficiaries.

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An evidence-based decision

Public bodies are often expected to demonstrate that major decisions are supported by evidence.

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For a Charity whose purpose is to provide sport and recreation for a defined class of beneficiaries, it is reasonable to ask:

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• What needs were identified?

• How were those needs measured?

• What alternatives were considered?

• Why was this particular balance of facilities selected?

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Publishing that evidence would help beneficiaries understand why the proposal is considered to represent the best long-term use of the land.