MARINE AFC PLANNING APPLICATION – PROPOSED PITCH MODERNISATION / WIDENING OF SITE ENTRANCE:
Sunday 10th January 2021 saw the club play a Premier League team at home for the first time in its long history.
Sadly due to the pandemic the club couldn’t share their greatest day with its fans but the game was televised live on BBC 1 Match of the Day, with a UK audience of 6.8 million and worldwide an amazing 30 million.
Tottenham Hotspur didn’t read the script and ran out 5-0 winners, but their fans (and fans of other clubs and wellwishers) raised in excess of £300,000 by way of virtual ticket donations.
Many people will be aware of the fantastic work that Marine in the Community has done, and continues to do, before and during the pandemic including lunches to Senior Citizens, football coaching in schools, walking football, girls football, and partnerships to promote physical and mental health.
The club is looking to build on that community involvement and its position in the heart of Crosby by installing a 3G pitch at the Marine Travel Arena this summer.
In addition to the pitch modernisation they will also be widening the entrance to the car park; creating a community garden; and removing the existing unsightly metal fencing on the frontage to College Road. Electric vehicle charging and cycle parking will also be installed with additional disabled parking and two free parking bays.
There are currently no full size enclosed floodlit 3G pitches in Crosby. The new pitch will give that facility to the community, and the club will be linking with our partner community groups for them to use on an affordable basis.
The benefits in getting people active, and improving physical, social and mental health are immense and will be available to all within the community.
The club appreciates that the stadium is in a residential area and the usage will increase after the installation of the pitch should planning be granted.
There is however a significant level of usage already during the season on Saturdays and most midweek nights – the club will look to reduce any impact from additional floodlight usage by only using the system’s lower lux settings wherever possible, and will not be changing the lamps or requesting any use beyond the current switch off time of 10.15pm.
Most of the additional use will be during the day; the club propose 9am to 10pm usage with lights off by 10.15pm at the latest. The majority of users will be community partners (schools, youth teams, etc) who will arrive and leave in organised transport or on foot where possible.
All users will be requested to keep noise (use of whistles and general noise) to a minimum but the club do recognize that residents in the immediate vicinity of the ground may hear this.
The club do however feel that the minimal effect of this will be far outweighed by having a fantastic new pitch within a short walk that will be a much needed facility for all.
As part of the planning consultation process the club have carried out a letter drop to approximately 400 residents / businesses within the vicinity of the Marine Travel Arena.
