Wokingham

At its meeting om January 25 Wokingham District Council’s decision-making executive gave its support to proposals to improve football facilities at Cantley Park in Wokingham.

The Wokingham development plan incorporates fencing off a single pitch, erecting a small stand accommodating a maximum of 254 seats (including wheelchairs), car parking, dug outs, turnstile or paybox and the conversion of the Ashridge Room into a clubroom available for all teams playing at Cantley Park. The council would maintain the same number of pitches, although one pitch may be moved within the Cantley site. The majority of Cantley would remain unchanged and accessible to all local residents.

To ensure issues raised by residents are further considered and legal and leasing conditions fully explored, a special forum comprising local residents’ groups, local councillors and other interested parties including Cantley House Hotel and Wokingham Theatre, will be set up next month (February).

The forum will meet before any planning application is submitted. Full public consultation would then take place as part of the normal planning process and the licensing committee would then have to consider the licensing application.

Subject to planning permission, the stand would be approximately 35 metres wide, three metres high and three metres deep, accommodating a maximum of 254 seats (including wheelchairs). The erection of this stand would enable Wokingham and Emmbrook FC to play up to Combined Counties’ or Hellenic League standard. The League rules stipulate that crowds of up to 1,000 must be catered for, so in theory, 750 people could stand on the other three sides of the pitch. In practice, however, spectators are expected to be far fewer than this. The Combined Counties’ Football League average attendance in 2006 was 71 (lowest 14, highest 205).

A traffic impact assessment would form part of the planning application, including a full analysis of the number of car parking spaces needed and any potential impact on parking in residential areas. At this stage, the council is aware that Cantley Park could accommodate at least another 40 permanent car parking spaces - extra parking which would benefit all users of the site.

Approximately half of the total cost (£261,000) would be provided through Football Foundation grants, the remainder being met by the council through S106 monies known as developer contributions.

Cllr Frank Browne, leader of Wokingham council, said: “The district council is committed to ensuring Cantley Park is enjoyed by local residents and all sporting clubs who use the facilities, making it a great sporting venue for all our residents and generating interested from our young people in sport.

“This youth involvement is a key strand of the council’s new leisure, sport and recreation strategy, which was launched in June 2006, and the council will work to develop more partnerships with teams across the district.

“It is important to stress that although the executive has supported this proposal, there will be a detailed planning and licensing process to follow where a number of specific and important issues will need to be addressed. And these statutory and detailed processes will be informed by the special forum which will hold its first meeting in February, before any planning application is submitted.”

Wokingham District Council