New sporting area for coastal town with ‘insufficient’ facilities

​​St George’s RC Primary at Overdale in Eastfield, Scarborough, will construct a new multi-use games area (MUGA) for use by pupils and residents.

​The new facility will be open during evenings and weekends, providing a “high-quality space” to the wider community, which planners noted has a lack of sporting facilities.

​​St Cuthbert’s RC Academy Trust, which runs St George’s, will convert an existing area of natural grass playing field into a new synthetic play zone.

The existing grass surface will be replaced with a new MUGA that is 30 metres by 20 metres, in addition to a spectator standing area along the touchline.

​“There is an insufficient number of similar facilities within the local area, and this development will provide a space for the community to engage in sport year-round,” planning officers said.

​They added: “The MUGA will provide an accessible facility and in terms of health and wellbeing, the proposed development will provide physical benefits to the pupils at the school.”

​In order to limit noise pollution from the games area, the school plans to implement a “no-whistle policy” after 5pm and reduced hours of operation, which will be from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday.

​No objections were made by the Highway Authority, which said that a “suitable level of parking will be maintained within the site, including turning for vehicles allowing them to enter and exit the highway in a forward gear”.

​It added that no changes were proposed to the junction with the highway and that it did not anticipate “an increase in vehicle movements as a result of the development”.

​The new facility will maintain the general gradients and levels of the existing natural grass area.

It will be finished in synthetic turf and will be enclosed by a three-metre-high, green-coloured, wired fence.

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An access path will also be created and four lighting columns, each six metres high, will be on each corner of the development.

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The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council, subject to conditions, on Monday, September 21.