Green light for pitch money

Councillors have supported a plan to build a new £800,000 all-weather sports pitch in the city despite concerns about cost.

Worcester City Council is looking to build a new 3G pitch at Perdiswell Leisure Centre and councillors have agreed to set aside £200,000 to help develop the project.

The commitment of cash will give the city council access to support from the Football Foundation to draw up the plans.

The city council’s planning committee rejected an application to build a new stadium for Worcester City FC at Perdiswell in 2018 – a decision that was later overturned on appeal by a government planning inspector.

Cllr Neil Laurenson, who represents the St Stephen ward, said he felt the money could be spent better elsewhere.

“The resident who made me aware of this said that surely in this economic climate that we find ourselves in, there are better things that we can spend the money on,” he told the communities committee at a meeting in the Guildhall on Wednesday (June 8).

“I have a lot of sympathy with that.”

Cllr Laurenson said the city’s Tudor Grange Academy would prove a “tremendously popular” choice as an alternative location.

“If there is a nearby location at no cost to this council, I would urge this committee to support that,” he added. “This is £200,000 when a lot of people are struggling.”

Alan New, the city council’s contracts and performance manager, said using Tudor Grange could create problems as it would mean having to open up a busy school to the public all day.

Lloyd Griffiths, the council’s director of operations, homes and communities, said the proposed facilities were “very different” to a football stadium for Worcester City.

“This is an artificial pitch for training that will be enclosed,” he said. “We’re not talking about an all-seater stadium.”

Cllr Jabba Riaz, chair of the communities committee, said: “I recognise some of the cost of living crisis concerns but I do recognise a good deal when I see one,” he said. “The fact that the Football Foundation are putting in £600,000 of that £800,000 it seems to me that it’s a really great opportunity to increase our football provision.”