Plans to give Worcestershire village new multi-million pound sports facility progress
Malvern Hills District Council have approved the plans for a £2.1 million community and sports centre to be created in Kempsey
Plans to build a new £2.1 million community and sports centre in the Worcestershire village of Kempsey have taken a step forward.
Malvern Hills District Council have given its approval to the scheme which will include the likes of a sports hall, changing rooms and two full-size football pitches.
Smaller pitches for seven-a-side and five-a-side matches, a skate park, a pump track and a children’s play area are also part of the plan for the facility, which would be built off of Pixham Ferry Lane.
Council planners said: “The proposal has policy support at district and neighbourhood plan level and represents a long-term aspiration and objective by the local community at Kempsey.
“In social and economic terms, the proposal would bring people together, provide for social activities, a sense of community and the many health and welfare benefits and opportunities that such use would support.”
The two-storey building is intended to be a flexible community space with meeting rooms and a café inside it, with the project being funded largely by developer contributions linked to housing developments in and around the village itself.
Dozens of villagers had also written to the council in support of the application, one said it would offer “a safe, inclusive and much-needed recreational space for children, teenagers and families”, while another said “this would have such a positive impact on the community”.
A handful of residents had raised concerns about noise coming from the sports centre, anti-social gatherings at night and access to the centre along the narrow Pixham Ferry Lane, with plans stating that a number of passing places will be created along the road.
A car park for 77 cars is also included in the plans, along with a grassed area that can be used as overspill parking for another 78 cars.
There will also be 12 cycle parking spaces and one space for coach parking.