R4U urges British Olympic Association to review sponsorship from Persimmon Homes due to their continued failure to provide football facilities

R4U-led Saffron Walden Town Council and Uttlesford District Council have both written to the British Olympic Association asking them to review their sponsorship relationship with Persimmon Homes in light of the developer’s continued refusal to provide completed football pitches and changing facilities off Lime Avenue in Saffron Walden.

R4U’s Cllr Alex Armstrong, who is the UDC Portfolio Holder for Sport, said “Providing football fields and changing rooms at Lime Avenue in Saffron Walden was part of a planning obligation that Persimmon Homes should have honoured more than 5-years ago. We believe it is unethical for the British Olympic Association to accept money from big-business developers that pretend to be promoting sports, but in reality refuse to provide much needed facilities for communities. Football is an Olympic sport. As such, both Saffron Walden Town Council and Uttlesford District Council have now written to the British Olympic Association urging them to review Persimmon Homes’ position as one of their corporate sponsors.”

Council Leader at SWTC, R4U’s Cllr Paul Gadd added “Earlier this month, SWTC, UDC and Saffron Walden Community FC also wrote a joint letter to each of the board directors of Persimmon, asking them to ensure the delivery of the required football pitches and associated facilities. This included their chairman, Mr Roger Devlin, who was previously the Senior Independent Director at the Football Association. You would hope that he would understand the importance of these facilities, but Persimmon still has not complied. The feedback that Saffron Walden Community FC has received shows that our local community is sadly far from the only one being treated in such a way by this developer. Now the Councils have taken the case to the British Olympic Association and Team GB to ensure that they are aware of Persimmon’s actions. We would hope that they would not knowingly allow themselves to be financially associated with a company that treats grassroots sports this way.”

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