Sports pitch and park restoration proposed for old sports centre site

A report to Chesterfield Borough Council is recommending that the former Queen’s Park Sports Centre site is used for an all-weather artificial sports pitch, with the surrounding area restored to parkland.

If councillors support the proposal work will be carried out to enable a planning application to be submitted in early 2018, seeking permission to:

• Install a 55 metres x 33 metres 3G all-weather artificial sports pitch suitable for seven-a-side matches, which can also be split up for two five-a-side matches. This will help meet a need identified by Sport England for artificial pitches within the borough and supports efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
• Restore the surrounding area to parkland, landscaping the area to merge in with the existing grade 2* listed park.

Before a planning application could be submitted a heritage assessment would need to be completed to assess how well the proposal would fit in with the grade 2* listed park.

The old Queen’s Park Sports Centre was demolished earlier this year. The centre closed at the end of December 2015, a few days before the new £11.25 million Queen’s Park Sports Centre opened further up Boythorpe Avenue in January 2016.

The recommendation to councillors follows the completion of a detailed business case which looked at various options for the site, taking in to account the views given during the public consultation held in autumn 2016.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s deputy leader, said: “Queen’s Park is one of the most popular recreation areas in Chesterfield and this is an opportunity to make it even better.

“The artificial sports pitch would be flexible so it can be used for one seven-a-side match or split up so two five-a-side matches can happen at the same time, which will increase the opportunities for residents to use it.

“Having a pitch like this will help us meet some of the need for artificial sports pitches in the borough which Sport England has identified, while also generating an income to pay for its maintenance, running and the security measures that we want to put in place.”

If cabinet members back the plan when they consider it on Tuesday 5 December the matter will go to a full council meeting on 13 December for a final decision.

The business case includes plans for the maintenance of the pitch, and installation of CCTV cameras and a security fence to reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour. The lights will be designed to reduce light pollution beyond the pitch area.