Core Strategy Preferred Options (Revised October 2008)

Dear Sir/Madam

I am the Club Secretary for Hawkwell Athletic FC and have browsed through your CS document for Hockley and the surrounding areas specifically to Sports Pitches.

The CS document says that you have identified several sites where new pitches could potentially be built unfortunately, for my club, not in Hockley. However the CS does not say what you intend to do with the existing sites.

For example

1) At Clements Hall if you could flatten the ground near the skate board ramp and the childrens play area then you could also create 2 Mini Soccer pitches.

My club is expanding (from 22 teams 3 years ago to 38 - 500+ players) ), and with the influx of all these new families then I'm sure that many more team will be created and yet you do not seem to be designating any extra pitches in the Hockley, Hawkwell area. So building these mini soccer pitches at Clements Hall (which my club would hire) would help to ensure more children play sport in our local area and not hang around the local streets/shops as they do today. These pitches would reduce the amount of games my 15 Mini Soccer teams play at our home pitches (Apex playing fields, Plumberow Avenue). This would then reduce any complaints you may have from the Apex neighbours.

I also note with wry amusement on page 100 under the title "CLT10 Playing Pitches - Preferred Option" you state...

"The impact on the openness of the Green Belt is minimised through the provision of pitches being on a small-scale and any essential accompanying facilities to be developed at the minimum necessary size having regard to guidance from Sport England."

I noted this as last year you rejected our planning proposal for toilet and changing facilities at Apex (drawn up under the guidelines the planning team gave us) to be used by the Greensward Academy, Hawkwell Athletic and local running clubs. The funding of £750,000 had been found without a penny being raised from the council or the local rate payer because of a few local residents complaints, and not necessarily from those residents backing onto Apex.

I also agree with the HRA that the infrastructure will certainly need to be improved before building any more houses.



Steve Dowding

Club Secretary

Hawkwell Athletic FC

Dear Sir/Madam

I am the Club Secretary for Hawkwell Athletic FC and have browsed through your CS document for Hockley and the surrounding areas specifically to Sports Pitches.

The CS document says that you have identified several sites where new pitches could potentially be built unfortunately, for my club, not in Hockley. However the CS does not say what you intend to do with the existing sites.

For example

1) At Clements Hall if you could flatten the ground near the skate board ramp and the childrens play area then you could also create 2 Mini Soccer pitches.

My club is expanding (from 22 teams 3 years ago to 38 - 500+ players) ), and with the influx of all these new families then I'm sure that many more team will be created and yet you do not seem to be designating any extra pitches in the Hockley, Hawkwell area. So building these mini soccer pitches at Clements Hall (which my club would hire) would help to ensure more children play sport in our local area and not hang around the local streets/shops as they do today. These pitches would reduce the amount of games my 15 Mini Soccer teams play at our home pitches (Apex playing fields, Plumberow Avenue). This would then reduce any complaints you may have from the Apex neighbours.

I also note with wry amusement on page 100 under the title "CLT10 Playing Pitches - Preferred Option" you state...

"The impact on the openness of the Green Belt is minimised through the provision of pitches being on a small-scale and any essential accompanying facilities to be developed at the minimum necessary size having regard to guidance from Sport England."

I noted this as last year you rejected our planning proposal for toilet and changing facilities at Apex (drawn up under the guidelines the planning team gave us) to be used by the Greensward Academy, Hawkwell Athletic and local running clubs. The funding of £750,000 had been found without a penny being raised from the council or the local rate payer because of a few local residents complaints, and not necessarily from those residents backing onto Apex.

I also agree with the HRA that the infrastructure will certainly need to be improved before building any more houses.



Steve Dowding

Club Secretary

Hawkwell Athletic FC