Bredbury Cricket Club resurrects redevelopment plan
Bredbury St Marks Cricket Club has moved forward with plans to relocate, opening up its current ground to be redeveloped for housing.
Proposals have been mooted for many years with a planning application put forward in 2017 for the relocation, which will see the cricket club move to a new purpose-built pavilion, clubhouse and pitch behind the Bredbury Hall Hotel, off Dark Lane.
Under the plans, developer Morbaine would take over its existing home and build 24 houses on the site.
The move has been driven by the restrictive nature of the club’s current ground. The size of the ground is described by the club’s consultants as being “woefully below the required minimum set down by Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board”, being only 60% of the required size.
The club currently runs four senior teams, a full complement of junior teams, a social cricket team, and an over 40s team; it did previously host a women’s team, but this has been forced to go to another club due to a lack of practice and game time available, according to planning documents.
Bredbury St Marks currently owns its ground and selling the existing pitches off for housing will allow it to purchase the land for its new home.
Facilities planned at the new club include a cricket pitch which meets Sport England standard; a second pitch for junior teams; a clubhouse of around 4,500 sq ft, practice nets, and car parking.
Housing will only be brought forward once the new cricket club is complete; the existing ground and pitches currently cover 2.5 acres on the edge of Woodley. Here, Morbaine would bring forward a mix of three, four, and five bed homes in an outline planning permission. A planning application was previously put forward by the club here, working with Bardsley, but this was withdrawn before heading to committee.
The latest set of plans look more likely to progress to planning committee, however, with Stockport Council’s Werneth Area Committee set to discuss the proposals next week. The scheme is likely to then go to planning committee with a recommendation to approve.
The professional team on the project includes WYG and Club Design.
This would create even more danger at the already notorious junction with Pennine Road, not to mention yet more potential flooding down the line with reduced chance for heavy rain to soak into the ground.
By Tony Burton
How absolutely ridiculous. Surely the site of the current pitch is also “woefully below the required minimum” to build more than a few smaller houses on. Who on earth would buy a luxury 5 bed there? They will be horrendously overlooked, with no gardens to speak of. Access will be unsafe given the already poor visibility at the end of Hillside Road. And there is no capacity in local primary schools. A cruel and unwise blow to the area.
By Claire
My reservations are , increased traffic on already hazardous junction.
Building on land prone to flooding , serious flood on Hillside Rd. on
Thursday 1st. August . Increased pollution with extra traffic and
population . Change of neighbourhood ambience.
By Judith Howcroft
I have lived behind cricket club for over 20 yes. We have massive problems as it is with the traffic and junction at bottom of hillside rd which has two bad bends so it’s hard to see approaching traffic from Pennine rd also we are prone to experience extreme flooding the existing drains cannot cope with what the weather throws at them so how another 24 drains will affect the rd is beyond belief also not affordable housing which doesn’t help our families on the property ladder.
By C. aldred
Always sad to see a village cricket pitch go. However. Its not green belt so thats good.
24 houses thats good because they will be high end quality on the edge of werneth low. Anything around half a million wil get snapped up just like gee cross college. It will keep the value up. No one wants social housing in expensive areas. Cricket balls wont be flying like missiles through windows. Im so glad that its not upsetting wildlife. Proper gardens well thought out will attract wildlife…
By Jrk
@Jrk, “Its not green belt so thats good.”
This is the problem, everyone would be up in arms at the thought of building on sacred green belt, despite the fact that it is usually inaccessible to the public and has little biodiversity value. But building on a cricket ground, who cares right?
By Anonymous
I would be interested to know where some of the information in this article has come from… I used to be the captain of the ladies team and the reason why we left was NOT lack of ground space, it was complete lack of support. We now play at Woodley which has just as much space, if not less.
By Georgie