This is the long-planned upgrade of the 30 year-old Redgra pitch. The same one that's been in the Brockwell Park masterplan since the 2007 HLF project and the same one that's identified in the FA Local Football Facility Plan for Lambeth - i.e the national strategy to support grassroots access for under-served inner city audiences that has been much quoted in recent days with respect to improving diversity in the female game. The similar facility recently built in Myatt's Fields is a good comparator.
Although the plans show 50% of the wildflower meadow will go, it's worth noting that the planning application is based upon the principle of Net Biodiversity Gain through other interventions across the park. That seems like a reasonable trade-off - something acknowledged in the conclusions of the Ecological Impact Assessment. Since the wildflower meadow is also fenced off to prevent public access, I presume there has not been the need to make any justification based on loss of amenity value.
It's hard to see from the plan exactly the size they're proposing, but I reckon it can't be more than 80m long, which is considerably shorter than regulations.
