The Principal Planning and Enforcement Team Leader detailed this application for consideration.

The Applicant’s agent addressed the Committee along with the developer and the Chair of Bromborough & Eastham Junior Football Club and answered Member questions.

Members debated the application

Councillor Steve Foulkes moved refusal of the application, seconded by Councillor Brian Kenny for the reasons set out in the officers report. This motion was lost (4 for, 6 against and 1 abstention).

On a motion by the Chair, Councillor Stuart Kelly, seconded by Councillor Andrew Gardner that the public and community benefits arising from the development clearly outweigh the harm resulting from the partial loss of sports pitches caused by the car park and also outweigh the less than substantial harm to the conservation area arising from the car park, the benefits being

noted as:

·  the opportunities for local children and young people to take part in organised sport.

·  It would be a home for a main football club, catering for 600 young people between the ages of 14 and 16,

·  space for healthy and productive activity for adults and young people,

·  hedge and tree planting, which would encourage wildlife and increasing tree cover, 8 trees are stipulated, I think, and shrubs. 

·  There is an identified need for additional pitches throughout the borough. 2 football pitches were marked out and were last used in 2012, for certain and the report goes on to suggest they might have been used in 2013 and 2015.  The report goes on to say there was a planning permission granted in 2015 for pitches on the site.  The Council’s own playing pitch outdoor sports strategy and action plan in July 2021 identifies the site as being lapsed, which Sport England don’t agree with, neither do I and it’s suitable for at least 2 pitches. 

·  Sport England’s documents identify that car parking can be considered as ancillary to the principal use of the playing field. 

·  the use of Grasscrete is preferable to tarmac,

·  the release of the old Price’s club as a community resource will also be a clear public benefit and a benefit to the conservation area as a whole as these buildings can deteriorate incredibly quickly.

·  Bear in mind the change to the outlook for nearby housing and I quote from the report that “There will be a very minor change to the outlook for nearby housing on South View, the car parking structures associated with the pitches, the outlook will remain as substantially grass and additional landscaping has the potential to improve the look. Biodiversity net gain increases by 10.57% in terms of habitat and 61.88% in terms of hedgerow.

·  Drainage underneath the proposed pitches is seen as adequate whilst it doesn’t cover the entire site, it’s clearly an inherent improvement on the current situation.

It was

Resolved (6 for, 5 against): That the application be delegated to the Assistant Director Chief Planner for approval, subject to the imposition of conditions covering the matters listed and considered necessary to secure the sporting and community benefits of the development, and to ensure the development is acceptable in planning terms in all other respects -

• Statutory time limit for implementation and compliance with approved plans
• Provision of all elements of development concurrently with pitches and changing room facilities provided prior to the car park being first brought into use.
• Agreement to secure community use of the facilities
• Provision of sustainable drainage and management and maintenance thereafter
• Construction phase protection for existing trees
• The provision and implementation of a detailed scheme of landscaping
• Ecological mitigation and enhancement
• Provision of cycle and accessible parking
• Design details for cycle shelter, storage container and barriers restricting vehicular access (in the interests of the Conservation Area)
• Re-routing of the pedestrian footpath to allow retention of more of the existing bowling green
• Historic Building recording of the current social club building and design details for replacement windows
• Construction Environmental Management Plan to minimise construction waste, prevent pollution, and ensure soil resource management.

Councillor Steve Foulkes asked that his dissenting vote be noted.