A Fenland rugby club has called on the council to ensure enough space is left for sports as thousands of homes are set to be built
The chair of a rugby club has said they are past “breaking point” with their growing membership forced to share a single pitch. Edwin Fey, chairman of March Bears Rugby Union Football Club, called the situation a “community emergency” that they’ve been trying to solve for the last eight years.
He told Fenland District Council that the “unprecedented growth” of the market town is leaving community infrastructure to fall “dangerously behind”.
He said: “For all these hundreds of players, we have exactly one pitch – let that sink in. One single piece of grass to accommodate full contact matches, heavy training every day of the week, toddler sessions and junior fixtures.
“Our clubhouse facilities are outdated, drastically too small and pushed far past their breaking point. Our changing rooms cannot safely or comfortably accommodate mixed genders and expanding youth sections.
“The lack of parking at Elm Road has become a major safety hazard which our volunteers are having to therefore manage. On busy match days and Sunday mornings, the car park overflows completely, forcing parents and visitors to park on narrow verges nearby on a 60 mile an hour road.
“We are physically gridlocked and are turning local families away because the ground simply cannot cope.”
He said his petition saw a “massive surge of support”, reaching the threshold for the council to debate it within 24 hours. Mr Fey called for the council to protect space for sports pitches when considering planning applications for new housing developments. A number of large schemes have been approved in March in recent years including up to 1,200 homes on the western edge of the town.
Cllr Andrew Woollard, of March West and Benwick, agreed with the petitioners and put forward a motion supporting their aims. His motion asked the council to treat sports pitch and open space provision as a priority in section 106 negotiations – where they can secure concessions from developers.
The Conservative councillor said that without delivering these, new projects will place “extra long-term pressure” on the “shortage of pitches” already experienced in March.
He said: “These facilities are heavily used, overstretched and relied upon by clubs who give enormous amounts back to the community. March Academy Football Club, who support 19 teams with 280 members, have recently emailed me to advise that they are now homeless following closure of the Neale-Wade playing field due to unsafe pitch conditions, leaving them desperate for pitches to play their home matches.”
Cllr Gavin Booth, of Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary, said what the motion asked for should already be in place with their local plan and it’s a “pity it’s not actually happened”.
The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “I guess what we’re saying with this motion is that things need to ramp up and we need to ensure that what we put in place as a council is actually delivered.”
Conservative councillor Haq Nawaz, of Whittlesey East and Villages, said he thought this could be “a turning point” and hoped their sentiments were taken on board by council officers.
The council passed the motion with 34 votes in favour and four abstentions.
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