The team behind the redevelopment of Congresbury’s Rec Club has unveiled a new plan featuring an upper floor and viewing balconies.
This design – on the same footprint as the existing Rec Club – replaces the original two-building approach unveiled in the spring and follows consultation with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“It is important to comply with the ECB requirements if we are to have a chance of a successful application for a grant from them towards the cost,” explained cricket club president Les Owen who is leading Project Construct, the name given to the team exploring the best way to develop a new cricket, tennis and social club building on the King George V Playing Field (KGV).
Since the original plans were unveiled in the spring the Project Construct team has held an online questionnaire which had some 115 responses with 87 per cent of respondents in favour of the redevelopment and further work has been done on the design.
Now the KGV Trustees have started a pre-planning application consultation with North Somerset District Council. This process involves submitting an overview and some detail to the planning department and getting their feedback before a formal application for planning permission is submitted.
Mr Owen said that during consultation with the ECB it became clear that they would be unable to support the original ‘two building’ design with a new changing rooms’ building alongside the footprint of the existing Recreation Club.
This is because the new building would be behind the bowlers’ arms on the east side of the ground and that, and the need for sight screens directly in front of the changing rooms, would interfere with the normal playing of cricket and would adversely impact the look and feel of a traditional village cricket ground
Accordingly the Project Committee has now come up with a new design involving a building exactly on the footprint of the existing Rec Club but with an upper floor consisting of changing rooms/tennis viewing room/committee room, and a ground floor with the bar and social facilities as the existing building has. It is this design that is the subject of the pre-application consultation.
Some extracts of the pre-application supporting material are available to view by clicking here which show the proposed floor plans, elevations and materials to be used.
Any comments on this proposal can be made to the KGV Trustees and the Project Committee by emailing newrecclub@gmail.com