Overview
Lighthorne Parish Council propose to erect a basketball court at The Pavilion. We have received a grant for the basketball hoop from Sport England. David Wilson and Barrett Homes have agreed to lay the court.
Status
A summary of updates provided in the minutes of the Parish Council meetings can be found below.
14 November 2023
Enquiries are ongoing to see if the project can be completed – Barrett are still engaged and the PR rep for DWH is enquiring whether they can assist.
10 October 2023
Enquiries are ongoing to see if the project can be completed.
12 September 2023
Correspondence and meetings with Barrett Homes had reached the point of arranging a start date for the basketball area to be installed by Barrett Homes’ team – in current economic conditions they have concerns over costs. Andy Smith has agreed to continue encouraging them to complete the works, including enquiries as to the extent of their current proposed financial commitment to the scheme.
11 July 2023
Cllr Reynolds and Andy Smith are arranging to meet contractors on site to discuss the scheme, how much they can provide for LPC and timings etc.
13 June 2023
It was clarified for the record that we do not need planning permission – Cllr Parry also helpfully confirmed that we do not need planning permission. In light of the above the representative of the house builders are looking into contractors that might be able to support the project – Andy Smith was given delegated power to forward the schematic to them – Cllr Reynolds will assist. It was noted that Lighthorne Heath have an almost identical unit/practice area and that we could base our area around their dimensions. A resident attended with his own survey of the outfield suggesting that if the cricket wicket was moved it could free up land alongside the embankment between the tennis court and car park for parking. The resident was told that this had previously been considered but rejected for a considerable number of practical reasons. It was also noted that the area is sports field and as such a planning application for change of use would be required which would be vehemently opposed by Sports England, who are extremely influential. Cllr Parry confirmed that Sports England would object in the most robust terms and that the Cllrs on the planning committee would follow Sports England and refuse any application. The resident agreed to send a copy of his survey to LPC for them to consider.
9 May 2023
Enquiries were made whether the basketball court in isolation will require planning permission. Sports England have been consulted (who in turn consulted the ECB) on the project and its proposed location (the north west corner of the outfield) – technical guidance notes were provided and no objection raised. Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 grants local authorities wide ranging powers to carry out operational developments like this. In light of the above the representative of the house builders are looking into contractors that might be able to support the project and will confirm once a plan has been established. It was confirmed that the location, which has been consulted upon, was reached after consulting the Tennis Club and Khalsa Cricket, it was established as the only viable location, out of a possible 4, which would not interfere with either cricket, tennis or football going forward. Sports England would strongly object to any parking on the outfield, so the site proposed could not be brought forward for parking. A resident asked for a masterplan and survey of the whole outfield to consider all projects at once. Another resident suggested that this was not realistic. There was discussion about how LPC had arrived at this location. The above consultation process was repeated, in addition local children’s football provider and drainage firm etc have been involved. A resident offered his services to attempt to make the children’s football a reality.
11 April 2023
Enquiries being made whether the basketball court in isolation will require planning permission. Any application and works can then be completed.
14 March 2023
Awaiting a site meeting to agree location and size of a basketball area, to be arranged when Cllr Middleton is available.
14 February 2023
Awaiting the outcome of planning application and whether or not to pursue the basketball court in isolation. Locations for the basketball Court in isolation will be discussed with Cricketers and Tennis Club if in proximity.
8 November 2022
Awaiting a response following on from Cllr Smith’s meeting with representatives from David Wilson and Barrett Homes regarding whether they would donate the basketball court surface.
11 October 2022
Cllr Smith met with a representative from Barrett Homes. The required specifications were provided and were taken away for consideration. The rough timetable was outlined. Cllr Smith has also sought advice from The Warwickshire Hawks Basketball Club based at Moreton Morrell regarding an appropriate practice area.
27 September 2022
Contrary to what was reported at the last meeting, David Wilson Homes are now expressing an interest in sponsoring the creation of a hard surface for basketball. The Clerk is seeking a meeting with developer representatives on site to discuss this in more detail.
9 August 2022
Feedback from members of the tennis club indicate opposition to using one end of the tennis court as a playing surface for basketball. A tennis club member constructively suggested a ‘3×3’ basketball court in another location. Cllr Middleton agreed to make a site visit to consider an alternative location for this. In the mean time, the grant funds will not be committed to purchasing basketball equipment unless and until a suitable location has been identified. The cost of creating the ‘3×3’ basketball surface will need to be researched.
12 July 2022
A suggestion of using the tennis court as the hard surface for the basketball hoop is also being looked into.
14 June 2022
The clerk has applied for a grant from WCC to install a professional basketball hoop.
10 May 2022
Clerk to apply for a Count Councillor grant for a basketball hoop for the pavilion.
Supporting Information
The photos below shows the proposed location of the court:
