Wilmslow Rugby Union Football Club has applied for planning permission to make a number of improvements at their Kings Road site which lies with the Green Belt.
The club are seeking permission for engineering works to enable them to create a levelled playing field, improve drainage and install a 3G playing surface.
The current pitch (no. 1) has substantial drainage issues that causes the pitch to be unplayable for substantial parts of the season.
The application states "It is not 'fit for purpose', and the required improvements will address the long standing problems with the Pitch no. 1, creating a modern playing facility that has significant capacity to improve and enhance the sporting and recreational facilities available at the club."
The planning application follows on from the club being successful in its application for sports grant funding to improve the quality of the playing pitch.
The plans can be viewed on the Cheshire Planning Portal by searching for planning reference 23/2348M.
Comments
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Firstly, It is green belt land. It is obscene to cover it in plastic. To cause such environmental damage to enable less than 30 hours extra use a year is mad. It will change a wild natural area into a brown field site. I expect they will also be erecting a fence around it (and potentially charging people £100 an hour to use it - that is the usual cost to hire an artificial pitch). Then when not enough people use it, they will be clear to apply for planning permission for a change of use to build on it?
Secondly, I also thought getting down and dirty in the mud was an essential part of rugby
Thirdly, 3G pitches are banned in Europe. In addition to the detrimental environmental impact there are concerns about cancer causing chemicals in the pitches. Micheal Gove thinks they should be banned and Rightmove reckons plastic grass takes around £16000 of the value of a home.
3G stands for a Third Generation synthetic surface which consists of three elements; synthetic turf, sand infill and rubber infill. These surfaces are typically between 35mm-65mm in pile height.
Sport England state "However, concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of these pitches. Most commonly this relates to the fibre loss of microplastics and; in the case of third generation or 3G pitches, the presence of rubber infill, which is also a microplastic. We understand these concerns and are taking them very seriously."
Sports England do not address that 3G pitches always involve ring fencing the land for just that one use. Enabling access to be controlled and monetarised, while excluding all other use of the space. Neither do Sports England quantify the underuse of existing artificial pitches - but just try booking one (there are many available and it is always possible to find one to play on already.) Like I said at the start - this is just so wrong.