PLEA OVER PITCH PLAN
Team appeals for council to re think bid to build house son green space:
A direct plea has been made to a council boss calling for a rethink on proposals which could see football pitches turned into a housing estate.
The Southern Area Playing Fields, off Bonemill Lane in Rickleton, Washington, could be developed for 200 new homes under Sunderland City Council’s Core Strategy and Development Plan.
But the proposals have met opposition from Washington United FC, which calls the six full-sized pitches its home.
The club, which has 300 members aged from seven to 17, has its sights set on expanding and developing a Northern League side.
It hopes to take on the site with a view to setting up a facility which will offer pitches and much more to the town’s young people.
It has approached the council with a view to transferring the asset into its management, with fundraising well on target to cover the cost, while it has been working with the Fields in Trust organisation in a bid to protect the green space for community use.
But it says the council has told its bosses that no asset transfers will take place until 2021 and has not responded to the trust.
The club’s management says the authority is waiting for the Football Association, Sport England and the Football Foundationbacked Parklife scheme to bed in for two years before it makes any decisions - one of the three hubs planned will be at the town’s Northern Area Playing Fields.
It says that will mean it faces yet more time in limbo, after already spending four years trying to push for an long-term agreement to accommodate its 28 teams, with five more sides expected to join its ranks next year.
Inthemeantimeithasfollowedthesuggestionitteams up with a school, but claims the council has also halted that idea progressing, and has worked on a financial plan to secure its future.
Its cause has been taken up by Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson, who has written to council chief executive Irene Lucas in a bid to protect the fields, with Sport England also objecting to it being lost as a playing space.
However, the council has said no decisions on the site have been made and people’s views are being taken into account as the strategy is drafted up.
Club secretary Mick Trainer said: “We feel we are being railroaded into using the hub, which we don’t want.
“We want to build something not just for the club, but for the community of Washington.
“It’s a large site, a beautiful site and if it is lost to houses, there’s no replacement for it.
“We can build houses anywhere, there’s nowhere like it in this area.”
He says the club has been received a wealth of support for its appeal through its Facebook page.
Mrs Hodgson has told Ms Lucas: “It is vital playing fields are protected so that children, families and sorts teams can continue to have easy access to facilities, exerciseandenjoythemselves.
“Not only this, but green spaces are a place of beauty that I believe should be preserved for the enjoyment of all, as well as for future generations.”
She told the Echo: “Increasinglyconstituentshave been expressing concerns aboutthisissuetome.Thatis whyIhavenowwrittentothe Council to ensure that their concerns are heard.”
Anyone who would like to find out more about the club can visit its Facebook page or email washingtonunited@sky.com.