Is there going to be a new football pitch in King's Lynn?

Eve Tawfickin Synthetics

With the Euros and now the Olympics we are enjoying a summer of sport ... but not everyone is happy with possible plans to boost sporting provision in West Norfolk.

Plans for the proposed 3G pitch Credit Alive, NCouncil

Possible plans for a new plastic all-weather 3G football pitch in Lynn have caused criticism about 'noise' and 'light pollution'.

Alive Leisure propose the new 3G pitch, which would cost £910,000, to be built on River Lane sports pitches on Beaulah street, Lynn.

In a CIL meeting last week Alive Leisure submitted a proposal that said: "Sport England and the Football Association have identified insufficient artificial pitches in West Norfolk, the only one being located at Lynnsport and it is deemed there should be at least 3.5 3G pitches in West Norfolk to meet the population and affiliated football teams needs.

This is consistent with the current 3G pitch usage which has 96 per cent utilisation at peak times."

3G stands for a Third Generation synthetic surface which consists of three elements; synthetic turf, sand infill and rubber infill.

Rubber crumb used on artificial pitches is made from car tyres and tyres are classed as hazardous waste.

Currently the pitches are used for cricket matches and as an outdoor green space, which many residents frequented during the lockdown.

River Lane was removed from development in the Lynnsport area in 2017 and placed under the protection of Fields in Trust.

Fields in Trust say on their website: "Fields in Trust champions and supports our parks and green spaces by protecting them for people to enjoy in perpetuity. Because once lost, they are lost forever."

However Tommy Goode head of performance and development at Alive Leisure said: "We have spoken to Fields in Trust and it meets their requirements. Nothing has been approved yet and we will make a formal announcement when we have an official plan in place.

A spokesperson for Fields in Trust Jamie Grubb said: "Fields in Trust protect River Lane Sports Pitches through a legal Deed of Dedication between ourselves and Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

"The Deed protects against non-recreational development. Day-to-day management of the space, including decisions regarding the recreational mix and facilities provided remains with the Council. A facility requiring a charge for its use is something that would require our Trustees' consent through our Field Change Request process.

" If our Trustees gave their consent for such a facility then it would be subject to planning consent being obtained, which would be the forum for local people to register their support or objections."

Susan Bruce, of Lynn, was a member of LARA (Lynnsport Area Residents Association) and campaigned against building on Lynnsport park.

She is against the plans and has said: "It will cause noise and light pollution to residents on Wootton Road and increase traffic on Beaulah Street which is a very narrow road.

"It will also remove a huge part of open green space from public use in an area where there is acknowledged to be a shortage of green space and give it to those who can afford to pay to use it.

"We can understand the attraction for some of this development however it will be at a cost to all those people who value it highly and use it now for recreation especially over the last 18 months when travel was limited.

"It seems that the council has built or plan to build on all the green space around Lynnsport including the old hockey pitch and now want to utilise land from what we believed was a protected space."

If the plans go ahead £660,000 of funding will be awarded by the the Football Foundation as a priority project in an area of high deprivation in West Norfolk.

Fields in Trust have been contacted for comment.


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