A LOCAL football club is making grand plans for the future.
Trustees of the Emmbrook Sports and Social Club at Lowther Road, have applied for planning permission to install a 100-seater grandstand and pitch lighting as well adding 20 spaces to the car park.
The grandstand will provide clubs that play there, including the Sumas – aka Wokingham and Emmbrook Football Club – with much needed seating for spectators and ensure the club’s facilities are suitable for playing in the Hellenic Premier Division. If approved by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC). It would be olive green in colour, have black seating and be 3 metres high.
In the application’s design statement, the club notes that “The supporter facilities on site are sub-standard and in order to comply with the Football Association minimum Standards Guidance a new facility is required, which will allow the use of the site to be used for the Local League Football.”
If approved, the club will enhance parking by formalising existing parking arrangements on the grass. A protective mesh would be added to the grassed area to “maintain a degree of softness”.
Mark Ashwell, the President of Wokingham and Emmbrook football club and Trustee of Emmbrook Sports and Social Club, told The Wokingham Paper: “This is a major push for the Sumas all round. It looks like the adult team is going to drop down a league and so there will be no requirement for floodlighting for them, however, the under 18s team is doing really well and are in desperate need of them. At the moment they are ground sharing which is expensive.
“These improvements are supporting local, amateur football achievements. The average age of the Sumas (who are amateur and actually pay us to play in the team) is 21.”
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To explain the plans, a public meeting is being held early next month at the club house.
Mark Ashwell, the President of Wokingham and Emmbrook football club and Trustee of Emmbrook Sports and Social Club, told The Wokingham Paper:
“Last June we held an open meeting where we explained what we were going to do. We have had to save the money to put in the planning application, which has taken us time because we are an amateur club.
“We are now ready to put in the application and are holding another open meeting on Tuesday February 2, between 8pm and 9pm at the Club House on Lowther Road.”[/floated]
Mr Ashwell added that the project will enable the clubs to be able to play games after dark in Wokingham, which will be a real boost to the team.
Writing in support of the application, one resident said: “With 400 children from age seven upwards playing for Wokingham a clear route to senior football for your local club is essential. This development offers this and does not appear to be intrusive or have
any adverse effects.”
Another asked: “Why should it be that the young people of Wokingham have to travel outside of the town to use suitable sporting facilities?”
Not everyone is in favour of the application. WBC’s planning department has already received an objection from a resident.
The person said they are concerned at a potential increased flood risk caused by “the amount of concrete proposed for the grandstand and the footpath”.
Other objections include the entrance to the sports ground being too close to the junction of Lowther Road and Old Forest Road, the grandstand being cited close to a children’s playground and fears the floodlights could harm bats and add light pollution to homes overlooking the stadium.
The planning application can be viewed on Wokingham Borough Council’s website – search for application number 153382.
