Agenda item

The following item of Opposition Business has been proposed by Cllr C Cushing, seconded by Cllr N Dixon:

‘In the Earmarked Reserves there is £848,686 allocated for an artificial grass pitch in North Walsham and Fakenham. The forecast budget indicates that there is no intention to spend these funds in the next financial year. 

No site has yet been confirmed for the North Walsham pitch and none will be forthcoming in the foreseeable future.

In Fakenham, though, there is a site readily available at Trap Lane near the Fitness Centre. This is owned by the Fakenham Town Council who support this development. This compliments their vision to create more sporting facilities in this area that will benefit several sports clubs in the town. Also, it is close to the area of the Fakenham Urban extension.

The proposal for an artificial pitch at Fakenham was included in the recent Levelling Up bid and was understood to be a priority for the council. Because of the bid some initial analysis has been done which can be used in the Football Association grant submission.

This Business Motion instructs the Director of Communities to immediately start work to formulate a bid to the Football Association for a full sized 3G artificial grass pitch in Fakenham to be submitted to the Football Association as soon as possible.

The estimated cost of a new 3G pitch is in the region of £1.150m. The Football Association has already indicated it will support the development of artificial pitches in Fakenham, Cromer, and North Walsham. It is expected that the Football Association will fund about 50% – 60% for the cost of laying a new pitch. Therefore, it is anticipated would need to fund 50% of the remaining cost. It is proposed to allocate 700,000 would allow for any inflation costs. 

It is pointless to have such a sizeable sum languishing in the Earmarked Reserves with no expectation it can be spent any time soon. This reallocation will enable Officers to progress a Fakenham bid now to see whether we can obtain a Football Association grant in 2024 or 2025’.

Cllr C Cushing introduced the item and stated that it requested the DFC to initiate work on developing a bid for a 3G pitch that could be submitted to the Football Foundation. He added that it came as a result of discussions from the budget meeting where a similar request had been made though no definitive answer had been given. It was noted that the proposal had been included as part of the levelling-up bid for the Town that had not succeeded, therefore a reasonable degree of planning had already taken place. Cllr C Cushing stated that the proposals would see a pitch built at a site on Trap Lane that was owned by the Town Council near the Fitness Centre, with the Town Council highly supportive of the proposal and likely willing to let the land at a low rent. It was noted that Fakenham Academy was also nearby and the pitch would provide additional sports resource for the school. Cllr C Cushing noted that he had spoken with local football teams, with several in need of additional practice space, but if approved the pitch could also be used for additional sports such as tennis. It was noted that as Football Foundation funding had been allocated for the year ahead, it was likely that funding may not be available until 2025, although 2024 allocations may become available. As a result, Cllr Cushing suggested that it would be prudent to prepare a bid as soon as possible.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          Cllr T Adams stated that he would support the motion and expected others would too, and noted that there was potential funding available within reserves for sports provision. He added that the Football Foundation had indicated three areas in the District where improvement was needed, which included Fakenham, Cromer and North Walsham. It was recognised that there was a clear need to increase provision in Fakenham as a growing town, though it should be noted that the timescale for any improvement would not be immediate.

      ii.          Cllr E Seward thanked Cllr Cushing for bringing forward the motion and stated that he was supportive of the proposal, and the S151 had recently confirmed that the existing provision of approximately £800k was now earmarked for both Fakenham and North Walsham as part of the capital programme. He added that a scheme would need to be developed and brought to Cabinet and Council for approval in order for the project to move forward. It was noted that issues with the North Walsham pitch, which would have been up to sixty percent funded by the Football Foundation, related to noise regulations, and it was hoped that a potential Fakenham pitch would not encounter the same issues. Cllr E Seward stated that in principle, a pitch remained agreed at the North Walsham Football Cub site, however this had not been progressed to the stage of implementation. He added that despite this, the Football Club remained strong with over twenty teams, which made it a highly valued community organisation run by volunteers, with players that had gone onto to win tournaments at the European level. It was noted that at present there were no obstacles standing in the way of a Fakenham pitch, and it was hoped that plans could be developed as soon as possible.

     iii.          Cllr J Rest stated that he fully endorsed the proposals and suggested that with the Leader’s support, the Council and officers should act quickly to prepare plans ready to submit to the Football Foundation as soon as possible.

    iv.          Cllr N Dixon stated that it was encouraging that Councillors appeared to be on the same page in support of the project, and it was clear that funding was available in earmarked reserves, should the project move forward. He added that the merits of the proposal had been well outlined and he therefore fully endorsed the motion and its recommendations, which would help to balance the level of investment across the District.

      v.          Cllr C Cushing stated that he was pleased that there was cross-party support for the proposal, in addition to support offered by the Town Council and local football teams.

    vi.          The item was proposed by Cllr C Cushing and seconded by Cllr N Dixon.

RESOLVED

That the Director of Communities immediately start work to formulate a bid to the Football Association for a full sized 3G artificial grass pitch in Fakenham to be submitted to the Football Association as soon as possible.