Homes plan for Muswell Hill's Rookfield Estate tennis courts

ROK Enterprise One, a subsidiary of Realia Capital Group, wants to build nine homes on the former Grove Lawn Tennis Club site in the Rookfield Estate in Muswell Hill.

But residents say the courts were designed to be the centrepiece of the estate, created more than 100 years ago as a “village in the town” by the Collins family of builder-architects.

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They allege that Rok, which owns the freehold on Cascade Avenue and The Chine, has denied them access to the courts, which have been padlocked for a decade.

Walter Merricks, chair of the Chine and Cascade Residents Association, said they were actively used until ten years ago, when "the land was locked, access was barred and it was allowed to deteriorate".

Rookfield Estate community against Developer Rok Enterprise One's plan to build eight houses on disused tennis courts that owners padlocked 10 years ago (Image: David Winskill)

He said two years ago residents offered to lease the courts from the owner, but were turned down.

Mr Merricks said: "This is open space and the clubhouse is a community asset for us. We used to hold lots of events like kids' parties, birthday parties, old peoples' groups, not just tennis, it was a community hub and they've stopped us accessing it."

Rok employed Adam Architects, which specialises in classical architecture, to build two terraces of four houses and turn the clubhouse into a bungalow.

But neighbours warn the new homes will "ruin the character and balance" of the area.

He added: "To stick such a tight block of eight narrow modern houses in the middle of the estate will be an architectural crime committed against the legacy of what the Collins family conceived and built and will destroy the environmental balance for future generations of architectural enthusiasts and designers – in short it will demean the whole concept."

Children would regularly learn how to play tennis on the courts in Rookfield Estate which have deteriorated after owners padlocked the gate (Image: Chine and Cascade Residents Association)

Muswell Hill Labour ward councillor Cathy Brennan said: "The Rookfield Estate tennis court and club are a heritage asset and the area was intended by the Collins family for community use.

"I believe that the community want to use it for community use and have been prevented from doing so by the owners.

"The community could do everything to rejuvenate the area and it wouldn't cost the owner a penny."

No Entry: Padlocks preventing the Rookfield Estate residents using the three tennis courts spelled the end of community play 10 years ago (Image: David Winskill)

Henry Lamprecht, managing director of the Community Communications Partnership, which  represents Rok, said the houses will be "identical" to those around them.

He added: "The clubhouse will be converted into a bungalow and given as affordable housing through the council.

"Obviously the developer is going to make money of it (the development) so we're trying to be sympathetic."

Neighbours are opposed to Rok Enterprise One's development plans which involve building eight homes on Rookfield Estate's tennis courts (Image: Rok Enterprise One)

He said the cost of running the "unutilized" tennis courts would be "unviable".

He added: "We've done quite a bit of consultation. We tried to meet up with the local residents but they won't meet with us. It's very regrettable and frustrating."

But Mr Merricks said residents had never been offered a meeting with the owners of the land, adding that it was "dubious" that a meeting with Mr Lamprech would be of any value.

The planning application can be found on Haringey Council's planning portal under The Grove Lawn Tennis Club or using the code: HGY/2023/0733.

The consultation runs until September 23.