BOWLERS have hit out at plans to demolish their indoor club in Southgate to make way for an all-weather sports pitch.

Bramley Road Bowls and Squash Centre, in Chase Side, has been earmarked for closure as part of Enfield Council's plan to upgrade the borough's leisure centres.

But more than 500 senior citizens have signed a petition to protest at the proposal, which goes before the council's planning committee on Tuesday evening.

Doris Langham, captain of the club, said that closing the club would mean pensioners having to travel by bus to centres in Edmonton or Finchley, more than seven miles away and more expensive.

She said: “A lot of the people that come here are older people that don't have cars and can't use public transport very easily.

“The council talks about keeping older people out of hospital by keeping fit and doing exercise – this is their exercise.

“A lot of these people are alone and this is the main thing they do to socialise and meet other people.”

The council wants to knock down the existing building and replace it with an outdoor all-weather sports pitch, with a single-storey reception block and space for 22 cars.

After councillors deferred a decision on the demolition last month to hold more consultation, council officers have recommended it go ahead because of what they claim is a decline in the popularity of bowls, estimating there are only 100 players who use the building.

But Ms Langham said that the club, established in 1937, is used by more than 250 people, including children who use the centre on a Sunday afternoon as part of their school curriculum.

The members will take their case to the meeting on Tuesday evening, where they will be given a chance to speak to councillors to voice their concerns before a decision is taken.