A RESIDENTS' group has hit out at a autism charity's bid to get sole use of a former bowls pavilion in Kenton.

The Kenton Adventure Park Committee wants the building in the park in Carlton Avenue to continue to be rented on an hourly basis from Harrow Council, rather than be given over to the Larches Community, which wants to turn the bowling green into allotments.

Chairman Christopher Langley said: “The buildings in the recreation park are there for the general use of the public.

“Now the Larches Trust has decided that it wants sole use of the building – that precludes others from using the bowls pavilion.

“We want to keep it open to everyone so we can run various functions at the building in the future.”

The committee was formed in 2010 when the park was refurbished by residents working in partnership with local schools and the council.

The council then made the bowls pavilion available to the group when it was not occupied by the Larches, to allow them to run sports events and activities for children.

Mr Langley said he was worried that giving a long-term lease of the building to any single group like the Larches would mean that the revival of the park would falter.

He said: “While their publicity includes having secured lottery funds to build an extension onto a building which has known structural faults, and making an allotment out of the bowling green when they were already using spaces built for them at Harrow taxpayers' expense, in the recreation ground, there is no mention of integration with the wider community.

“The Larches Trust has, by its own mishandling of the situation, opened a can of worms. This has not only impacted on its continued stay in Kenton Recreation Ground but has also imposed upon the residents of Kenton the need to fight the possibility of a single-interest group leasing our bowling green and clubhouse.

“This could well set a precedent which will affect other recreation ground public buildings.”

Bids for the lease of the pavilion had to be submitted to Harrow Council last Friday, and now officers are working to make a recommendation to councillors over who, if anyone, should win the site.

Linda Edwards, honorary chief executive of the Larches, denied that winning the bid would mean a loss to other groups in the community.

She said: “We are passionate about building an inclusive community and look forward to working with all community groups in Harrow if we win the bid.”