Fears raised over loss of youth football pitches

A football club has said losing two pitches to a planned housing development would cause serious and lasting harm to community sport.

Sport England and Sherburn in Elmet parish council joined Sherburn White Rose FC in objecting to the outline planning application for 300 homes off Tadcaster Road A162 in the town.

The parish council said the club, which has used the land for 25 years, already faced "serious capacity issues" which would be worsened by the proposed development.

However, developer Barratt David Wilson Yorkshire East said the scheme would be of a high-quality with a range of house types and sizes, and was in a "sustainable and logical location".

"New residents would help support local services and areas of public open space would provide useful additional facilities," the planning application said.

If the plans were approved, two junior football pitches on the land would be lost to make way for a sustainable drainage system and landscaping, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One existing full-sized pitch would remain on the land, which is leased to the club by Sherburn White Rose Sports and Social Club.

Mick Hawes, from the football club, said: "This loss is incompatible with the club's current size and ongoing growth, driven by increased local population from continuous housing developments."

Worries about disruption during the construction were also raised, along with concerns about long-term access to the playing fields.

The club suggested that as well as keeping the pitches, the applicant could help improve facilities by constructing on-site toilets or a small cafe.

"Without these benefits and needs being met, the proposal will cause serious and lasting harm to community sport and fails to meet national and local planning policy requirements," Hawes added.

Sport England said it had objected as the scheme did not meet any of the exceptions listed in its policy.

Planning manager Christopher Carroll said the organisation had advised that the applicant work with the council to ensure sporting needs were met.

Sherburn-in-Elmet Parish Council reiterated concerns about the cumulative impact of multiple housing developments in the local area.

"This and other potential developments, without contribution towards local facilities, will cause further strain on local services and infrastructure," it added.

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