The Sports Hub at Sutton Lawn moved a step closer today after Ashfield District Council’s Planning Committee approved the plans.
The plans approved for Sutton Lawn today include the extension and refurbishment of the current pavilion building, creating a brand new car park and access road. The pavilion will be managed by Sutton Community Academy, with community football groups having access to the facility in the evening and weekends. The new car park will create space for an additional 58 cars, easing pressure on the popular main car park and surrounding residential streets.
These plans are part of the wider Sports Hub project which centres around increasing provision for football at the park and has previously been approved by Planning Committee. The Sports Hub includes creating two new 3G football pitches, improvements to the existing grass football pitches, and converting the derelict shale pitch to grass pitches.
These improvements to Sutton Lawn are being made in conjunction with the Football Foundation and Academy Transformation Trust Further Education.
The sports hub is being funded as part of their £62.6million Towns Deal, which is financing 16 major transformational projects across Sutton and Kirkby that will change the face of Ashfield for generations to come. A further Sports Hub is planned for Kingsway Park to improve facilities for hockey, football and bowls.
Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning, said:
“This is going to be a huge investment into Sutton Lawn, shaping the football facilities for years to come. The new car park will be welcomed by visitors and the residents that live around the park. It’s fantastic that we are able to prioritise sports at a time when other Council’s are closing facilities.”
“One of the Council’s priorities is helping our communities live healthy and happy lives and our long-term investment into sports in Ashfield is proof that we are committed to achieving this aim.”
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