Community Facilities Project 2024
New community facilities in Crowle
At a public meeting on 24 March 2024, a proposed new project to deliver a new sports field and pavilion for our community was outlined.
Below are more details about the project. These add to the information published in the May edition of the Crowle Cryer.
Desired new facilities – feedback from the local community
In 2021, extensive research was undertaken by the Parish Council to establish the views and needs of the local community for recreational and sports/exercise facilities in Crowle.
This survey, to which there were over 200 respondents, gave rise to what at the time was referred to as ‘the Community Wellbeing Project’, which delivered a range of new and improved facilities, including:
- the new Platinum Hall, to create more scope for indoor exercise and leisure activities alongside the existing hall
- additional parking on the site, and
- additions to the existing outdoor facilities on the Jubilee Playing Field site, comprising an all-weather multi-use games area, an outdoor covered area and table tennis table, and picnic tables and an all-weather path round the playing field.
In 2023, further feedback was captured through our Neighbourhood Plan survey, with suggestions including:
- more football pitches and improved football club facilities
- more provision for older children/teenagers (perhaps including a youth club)
- an improved play area
- fitness equipment.
Proposals – 2024 and beyond
Amongst the most popular suggestions from the 2021 survey was new grass playing pitches. There was no available space at that time; however, that position has changed in that a 6.3 acre field owned by the Parish Council becomes available this year when the existing lease expires.
This field was part of the Parish Hall and allotments site acquired from the Diocese of Worcester in 1999, and has always been earmarked for recreational use but wasn’t needed when the Jubilee Field and associated facilities were developed 25 years ago.
The anticipated availability of this land was publicised in the Crowle Cryer in October 2022, when ideas for its use were invited from the community. The only credible proposal was put forward by Crowle Searchers Football Club.
What will the project involve?
The proposal for the site as put forward by Crowle Searchers is as follows:
- new grass playing pitches
- a new pavilion, mainly to house on-site changing rooms, and
- additional parking.
What’s the background to the Searchers’ proposal?
Crowle Searchers sets out to provide a welcoming and safe footballing opportunity for youngsters, and thus to contribute to the development of happy, healthy and sociable members of the community.
The Club’s plans for the creation of improved facilities will be a critical element in their ambition to further develop teams for girls and women. The proposal has achieved priority project status in Wychavon’s Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy.
Will the Football Club still use the Jubilee Field?
The Football Club currently has 11 junior teams (18s and under) and home games are split between Crowle and a second site at Lower Moor with early and late kick-offs at each. One objective of the new playing pitch development is to bring all the teams together on a single site to simplify arrangements where a family has siblings split across two age groups.
There will therefore be no significant change in the use of the Jubilee Field on a Saturday. The adult team, which uses the Jubilee Field on a Sunday morning, will move fully to the new field, freeing up the Jubilee Field for alternative uses on a Sunday.
What benefits will the project create for others in our local community?
The Football Club’s proposal will deliver a valuable asset for our community, with many benefits through the new facilities being made available to local groups.
Interest has already been expressed by Crowle First School, Crowle Scout Group and Crowle Table Tennis Club; other ideas suggested so far include archery and radio-controlled model clubs, and ‘taster sessions’ to promote sporting activities already run elsewhere. All further ideas welcome!
What additional car parking will be provided?
The Parish Council is aware that parking is an issue for Crowle residents.
The Parish Council was already considering a proposal to provide 38 new ‘occasional’ car parking spaces at the top of the Jubilee Field, directly below the old allotments, using a plastic grid through which the grass can grow (similar to the approach used at publicly accessible venues such as National Trust properties). The project will deliver these 38 spaces, and will also provide 15 additional spaces adjacent to the proposed pavilion.
An exercise to assess parking needs has been undertaken, and calculations indicate that the current plus new provision should be more than sufficient for Football Club activities.
Will more cars use the track that runs alongside the Jubilee Field?
There will be some increased usage, but this will be minimised as the vast majority of parking will remain at the parish hall end of the site.
Could the pavilion not be sited on the Jubilee Field/closer to the existing community buildings?
A key part of the Football Club’s ambition is to broaden its appeal to girls/young women, for whom the Football Foundation (who it is hoped will be a key funder for the project) require their changing facilities to be located adjacent to the playing pitch. There is evidence that many girls stop exercising during puberty as they become more self-conscious, so offering a playing pitch and changing facilities away from public view would be ideal. There is a requirement from the Football Foundation that there be changing facilities close to the pitch, and the current changing rooms at the Millennium Hall (and other space near the existing buildings) would be too far away to satisfy that criterion.
Locating the pavilion close to the new pitches will also prove beneficial for all groups using the new pitches in terms of providing convenient cover in the event of bad weather.
How will safety and security be maintained?
The existing padlocked metal gate into the new allotments and market garden area below the Jubilee Field will remain. A second locked gate will be provided into the new field with the pitches and pavilion. The pavilion will also have an intruder alarm.
How is the project being funded?
It is planned that the project will be funded by a combination of funds already held by the Football Club, a grant from the Football Foundation, and ‘Section 106’ monies generated via the recently-approved new housing developments in the village.
Will the access track that runs alongside the old allotments and the Jubilee Field be upgraded?
Yes, we are working up plans to improve this track and these will be shared when available.
It is also hoped to create a new pedestrian path parallel to the track at the side of the Jubilee Field so walkers are separated from cars, and to improve the surface of the current path round the field to make it more suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Will lighting be installed on the access track that runs alongside the Jubilee Field?
The present thinking is that this should not be necessary, although some discreet low-level solar-powered lights could be considered (similar to those at the end of the gravel car park).
Will the project involve the removal of trees or hedgerows?
The project will have a minimal impact on hedgerows but some small changes to improve access will be required. Full details will be shared when available. There are no planned changes to trees.
Over what timeframe will the project be undertaken?
Precise timing will depend on many factors (including planning, availability of funding, and practicalities such as the diversion of overhead power lines on the site), but the project is expected to be undertaken in two phases:
Phase 1: one full-size pitch and the car parking – which is planned to start in the spring of 2025 and be playable in the 2025-26 season.
Phase 2: a second full-size pitch (or equivalent) plus the pavilion, which it is hoped to complete by 2028.
Who is managing the project?
A Project Team has been set up comprising representatives from the Football Club and the Parish Council and other local people with specialist knowledge and expertise.
Project management will be undertaken by Robert Moore, formerly a director of One Creative Environments Limited, a Worcester-based firm of architects, engineers, landscape architects and master planners. Robert, who has lived in Crowle since 2005, undertook a similar project management role for the Wellbeing Project in 2021/22.
Who will manage the new facilities?
It is envisaged that the site will be managed along similar lines to the existing facilities. Bookings will be administered by the Parish Hall Trust, in common with the existing ‘community space’ at the Millennium and Platinum Halls and the Jubilee Field.
Will there be updates as the project progresses?
Yes, periodic updates will be shared via the Crowle Cryer and also on this website.
Are any other improvements planned to our community facilities?
With the playing pitches proposal, all the major items requested by parishioners as part of the Wellbeing Project will have been delivered.
We are looking at some other improvement options following feedback, including additional items in the play area, upgrading the surface of the path round the Jubilee Field, a hang-out space for teenagers, an enclosed area for dog exercise and a bike track. Some of these items are unlikely to be delivered until suitable spaces become available and the Section 106 funding from the new developments off Church Road can be applied for.
Can I see the plans for the project?
Yes, outline plans are available via the links below. They are also posted on local noticeboards.
Where can I get more information?
Please contact Nick Farress by email at clerk@crowlepc.co.uk or by phone on 07929 213117.
April 2024
