Lancashire Cricket’s £20m Farington complex completes
Main contractor Eric Wright Construction has handed over the club’s second home – a 34-acre site off Stanifield Lane in the South Ribble village with two cricket ovals, training facilities, and a 1,100 sq ft pavilion.
Lancashire Cricket delivered the scheme in conjunction with Lancashire County Council. The sports organisation hopes to have Farington ready to host two men’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches this season.
The club also hopes for the facility to become a Women’s Centre for Excellence for the North West.
The ovals will allow for both professional and amateur play. Credit: via Lancashire Cricket
Of the two cricket ovals, one is reserved for professional matches and training, while the other is for community, recreational, and youth cricket uses. The central pavilion, designed by BDP, holds changing rooms and fitness facilities.
Lancashire Cricket’s interim chair Dame Sarah Storey described the moment as “a landmark day” for a “historic project”.
“It has been incredible to witness the transformation of the site in a little over two years, from open fields into a purpose-built cricket facility of outstanding quality,” Storey said.
“The progress made is a real testament to the expertise and commitment of Eric Wright Construction, and we are extremely grateful for their support and professionalism throughout the process,” she continued.
“Farington is set to be a true gamechanger for Lancashire Cricket, supporting the growth of the game across all levels – from community and pathway cricket through to our professional programmes. As our new second home, it will play a vital role in the club’s future, and we are incredibly excited to see it host its first matches and activities later this year.”
The £20m project was supported by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Credit: via Lancashire Cricket
The handover, which happened on Monday, came more than two years after Eric Wright commenced construction in November 2023.
John Hartnett, managing director at Eric Wright, described the facility as setting “a new benchmark for modern cricket infrastructure”.
“By combining professional-grade facilities with inclusive community spaces, the project ensures the venue will serve elite cricket, grassroots participation, and spectators for many years to come,” Hartnett said.
“We are proud to have played a lead role in delivering a venue that reflects the quality and ambition of cricket in Lancashire.”
Support for the £20m project came, in part, from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which contributed £1.6m in funding for its delivery.
Planning for Farington was secured in 2023 with the help of Stantec and Urban Green. Chroma Consulting was the project manager.
You can see the full application for Farington by searching reference LCC/07/2022/00048 on South Ribble Council’s planning portal.
No seating. Limited parking. Surrounding roads all restricted access.
Not much shelter from the wind and rain.
No consultation with neighbours. Doesn’t account for the dreadful traffic in the area. Poor all round.
By Katie
@Katie 07:08pm – Looking at the site plans, there’s a large parking area to the site entrance, and it is located pretty much directly at the end of the M65.
Old Trafford is in a much worse location when it comes to road access, and there isn’t much in the way of shelter there either.
By red rose
Cheer up Katie it can’t be all doom and gloom.
By Anonymous
Perfectly reasonable that LCCC should have a facility elsewhere in Lancashire but as a member currently used to a four stop tram ride to OT, I won’t be driving to Preston
By The Blob
I thought Lancashire played at Aigburth, Southport, and Lytham?
By Elephant
Oh dear Katie, you don’t happen to live next door do you? Could be worse, they could have used the land to build more houses like they are doing over the road!
By Anonymous
Is it not a 10 minute walk from Lostock Hall Station? Or 1.5mi from Leyland? I regularly walk from Piccadilly to Old Trafford and that’s 3mi. Cricket is also played in summer and the lack of “shelter” doesn’t seem to affect hundreds of smaller grounds around the country. Just wear a coat 😀 Spoiled!!!
By Anonymous
Not took lancashire to long to have a cricket match in Lancashire only 50 years
By Anonymous