Concerns raised over safety impact of sports hub’s new football pitch

CONCERNS have been raised about the environmental impact and health consequences of a community football pitch to be built as part of the new £6 million Truro Sports Hub, which was approved by Cornwall Council on February 15.

The planned hub’s main pitch will become Truro City Football Club’s new ground.

During discussions, Kenwyn parish councillor Karen La Borde raised ecological concerns about the use of a third-generation (3G) pitch, which will become home to Threemilestone Football Club and also be used by other local teams.

The grass-like synthetic plastic turf uses rubber crumb infill, which Cllr La Borde described as “shredded end-of-life tyres” which could be carcinogenic.

She told councillors: “These now proliferate despite no clear understanding of the consequences.

“Scientists across the globe are flagging up serious concerns about their use because they leach lethal chemicals into our environment.”

In September 2023 the European Commission restricted the sale of intentionally added microplastics on to the European market, including rubber infill for 3G pitches.

The commission has confirmed an eight-year transition period before the new restriction becomes effective, and from October 2031 it will no longer be possible to buy rubber crumb within the EU.

A legal representative of Cornwall Council said this would mean the new 3G pitch at the sports hub having to be replaced after that date.

“It doesn’t prevent the construction of pitches with rubber crumb infill before that time”, he said.

“The long and short of it is it’s perfectly lawful, though I’m not downplaying the concerns.”

Cllr La Borde asked that conditions for granting the “excellent application” should include a full ecological assessment of the 3G pitch and that a second grass pitch be considered instead.

Richard Cleghorn of Treveth, the development arm of Cornwall Council, which is building the Truro Sports Hub as part of the 4,000homes Langarth Garden Village development, said: “We’re aware of concerns and have done our due diligence to ensure we’re compliant with all the legislation and the recommendations of the FA and Football Foundation, and other national bodies which manage 3G pitches.

“We do understand Cllr La Borde’s concerns but we’re compliant with current legislation.”

Cllr Andrew Long replied: “Yes, but this is in our own backyard, so to speak, so this is important down here, not all round the country.”

Mr Cleghorn answered: “The actual design of the pitch means there’s no drainage; there’s no way the rubber crumb can go into drainage systems.

“We’re more than confident that we’ve done everything locally [so] that the rubber crumb won’t cause an issue.”

The councillor for the Langarth area, Dulcie Tudor, said at the meeting: “I don’t have a problem with the rubber crumb on the 3G pitch in terms of environmental impact; 3G pitches are not illegal.

“I understand multiple measures have been put in place to prevent any effects on the environment.”

A joint statement from Sport England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other sporting bodies said of 3G pitches: “Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of these pitches.

“These have mostly related to the fibre loss of microplastics and, in the case of third-generation (3G) pitches, the presence of rubber infill, which is also a microplastic.

“We understand these concerns and are taking them very seriously.

“We acknowledge the difficulty in trying to balance the health and wellbeing benefits that come from the use of 3G pitches with environmental sustainability factors.

“However, it is also important to note that there are currently no widely available alternative infill products with proven durability on the market that are as effective, suitable for all UK weather conditions and deliver the required performance standards.”