site from residential development, presented to the London County Council, and opened as a public park in 1913. The south east end of Streatham Common and The Rookery abut Norwood Grove within the London Borough of Croydon. The appeal committee that had bought The Rookery was reformed in 1923 to save Norwood Grove from development, and there is now an almost continuous series of green spaces along the ridge line from Streatham to Crystal Palace. The gently sloping lawns of The Rookery are used as an open-air theatre in the summer. Management A Management Advisory Committee (MAC) was set up in 1996. The MAC subsequently developed a Vision Statement for the conservation of Streatham Common and The Rookery, resulting in the designation of the nature reserve and subsequent detailed habitat management plans. A separate Friends of Streatham Common group promotes events on the Common and in The Rookery, including a very successful annual kite festival. The MAC's functions have been carried out by the Friends group since 2011. The Streatham Common Co-operative (SCCoop) was set up by members of the Friends to provide local management of the Common that would provide greater local accountability than the borough-wide parks maintenance contracts. After several years preparation, management of The Rookery transferred to SCCoop in 2015. After Lambeth budget cuts threatened closure of the paddling pool, SCCoop accepted responsibility for managing the pool from Summer 2016 and the associated fund-raising. During 2017, SCCoop has also taken on conservation work in the nature reserve areas of the Common. Following the 2016 "in-sourcing" of Lambeth's parks maintenance from Veolia to a new Lambeth Landscapes DSO, plans for a further transfer of maintenance functions have been deferred. The London Wildlife Trust is currently working with Lambeth Council and the Friends of Streatham Common to improve the site for wildlife, as a part of The Great North Wood Project. In 2010, Streatham Common was saved from the threat of a "temporary" ice rink being built on it while Tesco redeveloped the former Streatham ice rink by a vigorous local campaign under the umbrella group 'Hands Off Our Common'. See also Streatham Common railway station Streatham-Croydon RFC References External links Streatham Common Kite Day Friends of Streatham Common Streatham Common Co-operative (SCCoop) Streatham Common Community Garden The Natural History Exploration of Streatham Common Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Lambeth Common land in London Local