MORE concerns have been raised over proposals to build a 3G pitch in Earley.
Earlier this year, Wokingham Borough Council unveiled plans for the facility at Maiden Erlegh School, but some residents are worried about the impacts.
At an executive meeting on Thursday, October 27, multiple questions were asked on how the council would tackle potential issues such as cost, increased traffic and the environmental impact of the site.
This follows from last week’s full council meeting where several other topics were discussed.
Sarah Evershed believes the pitch will compound the issue of “an already congested shopping parade”.
She asked: “Are the council accepting that this pitch will increase pollution, congestion and increase risk to the community’s safety?
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure, recognised the restricted access to the site but, due to the buildings either side of the road, there is no opportunity to improve it.
He said to avoid increasing congestion during pick up time, the pitch will only operate outside of school hours during the week.
Cllr Shenton added: “There is ample parking on site for the use of the pitch during after school hours operation, as the parking standard for pitches is 20 spaces per pitch.
“However, there would need to be an agreement between the school and the Borough Council to ensure that there are no conflicts with large events such as parent teacher evenings.
“The key partner clubs will encourage players and parents to walk or cycle to the site to reduce the impact on residents and promotion to encourage parents to share lifts, particularly on midweek training nights will also be a key feature. Those actions are expected to more than offset any increase in pollution from visiting teams on match days.”
A petition, organised by residents concerned about the proposals, garnered more than 150 signatures.
Sarah Spencer asked how many would be needed for the council to “take us seriously”.
She said: “Does Wokingham Borough Council care about the impact on residents at all?”
Cllr Shenton said: “The purpose of the consultation was to establish the views of residents and I think that demonstrates that the council does care. It’s elicited almost 1,000 responses and numerous other inputs highlighting several issues that do need careful consideration and will be taken very seriously.”
Cllr Shenton explained the council had already identified the need for noise and parking management plans and it will now assess what mitigation is required if it proceeds further.
He said: “In that event, it would still be required to go through the same process and be subjected to the same tests as all other planning applications.”
Elizabeth Newman called for clarity on how flooding will be managed at the site.
She is also worried that microplastics from the pitch will shed into the local environment, eventually making their way into water courses that feed into rivers.
Cllr Shenton clarified that a review of the drainage systems has identified a Thames Water service outlet which will be utilised.
If the pitch were to proceed beyond the feasibility stage, a full drainage survey would be carried out on the site prior to a planning application being made.
On the microplastics entering nearby water courses, Cllr Shenton said the design of the pitch would comply with the Football Foundation framework.
He added: “The standard practice for modern 3G pitches is for a holding tank to be placed underneath the pitch to hold rainwater to then be slowly dispersed into the ground.
“The system also has filters to capture any potential rubber crumb penetrating the sublevels of the base.”
Three more residents, Michaela Thomas, Chris Thomas and Emily Thomas, all raised concerns over the sustainability of plastic pitches and rubber crumb.
Questions included what happens with the surface at the end of its lifecycle and whether the council has considered alternatives to a 3G pitch.
Cllr Shenton said: “Under no circumstances shall end of life synthetic turf surfacing be disposed of by repurposing or landfill.”
Cllr Shenton also said the Football Association works “closely” with football clubs and the local authority to ensure grass pitches are supported and enhanced where possible.
“However, a host of local clubs still train on substandard surfaces and in cramped school halls and expensive commercially run sites. The 3G pitch provision aims to reduce the impact on local clubs of having to use out of date or unsuitable training facilities,” he added.
