All-weather sports pitch approved for North Tolsta
Getty ImagesPlanning permission has been granted for a new all-weather sports pitch and multi-use games area at North Tolsta in Lewis.
Community charity Pairc aig Clann Tholstaidh (Pact) proposes to redevelop an existing playing field at School Road.
The plans approved by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar also include a new access road, 16-bay car park with two accessible spaces, fencing, floodlights and container-type changing and storage units.
The development has been a long-standing community aspiration.
A planning application for a similar facility was submitted by North Tolsta Community Council in 2018, with planning documents confirming that consent was granted in 2019, though the development did not proceed.
Planning officers described the current application as a "refresh" of the previous consent.
The existing field is currently largely disused, with dilapidated fencing and goal posts described in the planning assessment as rusted and unusable.
The land is owned by the Stornoway Trust.
Planning consent was granted subject to 12 conditions, relating to construction hours, noise management, hours of operation, floodlighting, access and drainage, and the design of the sports fencing.
The container changing and storage units are subject to a 10-year temporary consent, and must be removed by 30 April 2036 unless a renewal of planning permission has been granted for their retention.
