Over £310k allocated to improve sport facilities

Milnrow Bowling Club will benefit from 'Section 106' money

A total of £311,614.45 has been allocated to improve sport facilities across the borough.

The council cabinet approved the recommended works outlined for what is called 'section 106 money' to be spent on identified improvements to a range of sport provisions across the borough, including Queen’s Park multi-use games area, Cleweth Road changing rooms and football pitch, Firgrove Recreation Ground changing rooms, Thornham Cricket Club and upgrades to a number of bowling club pavilions across the borough. 

Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority, like Rochdale Borough Council, to enter into a legally-binding agreement or planning obligation with a landowner as part of the granting of planning permission. The obligation is termed a section 106 agreement.

The money from these agreements can be used to support the provision of services and infrastructure, such as highways, recreational facilities, education, health and affordable housing.

Queen’s Park multi-use games area

Heywood Township confirmed its support for the Queen’s Park multi-use games area, which has been allocated £89,000 to replace two of the four tennis courts with a multi-use games area. This facility, including a REBO wall, will allow a wide variety of sports to be played throughout the year such as netball, football, tennis, mini tennis (for children), tennis walls and cricket.

REBO will provide free tennis training sessions to help implement this new concept. The new sports facilities will also allow local schools and youth groups the opportunity to host sports tournaments.

Heywood councillors also identified improvements at Heywood Sports Village, Heywood Cricket Club and Phoenix Recreation Ground as priorities. Additionally, councillors asked for the further consideration of parking issues at Sutherland Road playing field

Cleweth Road changing rooms and football pitch

£116,000 has been allocation to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Cleweth Road changing rooms, including improved insulation, new showers and boiler, refurbished toilets and associated electrical works, floor coverings and decoration, plus works to level and drain the football pitch to provide a high-quality playing surface.

Middleton councillors confirmed their support for this spend and additionally identified works to improve Limefield Recreation Ground changing rooms and St Mary’s School artificial grass pitch as priorities.

Funding for St Mary’s Artificial Grass Pitch has been specified within a recent section 106 agreement relating to development within the local area; the scheme will be implemented as the development is brought forward upon receipt of the contribution.

Funding has been identified for the Limefield scheme, which is currently at design stage and will be subject to further approval by Middleton Township through its funding sub committee.

Firgrove Recreation Ground changing rooms

Pennines Township councillors confirmed their support to allocate £17,000 of s.106 Formal Sport contributions to upgrade the shower and toilet areas of Firgrove Recreation Ground.

Pennines councillors additionally identified improvements at Littleborough Sports Centre and Littleborough Sports Club; and the building of a new club house at Rutherford Park, Wardle as priorities.

Thornham Cricket Club

The club has embarked on a project to develop a new club house, having already developed new changing facilities, with estimated costs of £127,000. Around £87,000 has been met through club fundraising and external grant funding, and Rochdale Township Members have approved an allocation of £40,000 in s.106 monies.

Rochdale Elected Members additionally identified the provision of new sports facilities at Balderstone Park and Stoneyfield Park, and improvements to Burton Park as priorities. Funding for a major scheme at Balderstone Park has been specified within s.106 agreements relating to development within the local area. A detailed design is currently being developed.

Bowling Club pavilion refurbishment

These facilities provide accessible active recreation that is particularly popular with older residents and people with disabilities, who may struggle to partake in other forms of formal sport.

Clubs to benefit from the refurbishments are as follows: Brassey Bowling Club, Broadfield Park Bowling Club, Chesham Park Bowling Club, Falinge Park Bowling Club, Kirkholt Bowling Club, Limetrees Bowling Club, Milnrow Bowling Club, Queen's Park Bowling Club, and Thistleyfield Bowling Club.

Councillors approved the allocation of £49,614.45 of  section 106 contributions to enable additional works to be carried out.

The remaining £78,750.35 will be met from the Council’s Operational Asset Management Planned Maintenance Programme.

The funding for these projects is made up from section 106 contributions from the following developments:

• Keepmoat Furrow Park (£116,000)
• Barratt Green Lane (£51,663.86)
• Barratt Manchester Road (£50,850)
• Birch Hill (£24,278.85)
• Taylor Wimpey, Green Lane (£30,000)
• Manchester Road Heywood (£7,304)
• Wickenhall Mill (£6,391)
• 85 and 85a Rochdale Road East (£5,478)
• Taylor Wimpey Hartley Lane (£4,209.65 – land purchase agreement)
• Riverside Centre Madens Square (£4,108.50)
• Burns Mill Heywood (£3,573.74)
• 204 Grimshaw Lane (£2,278.85)
• Land off Peel Street (£1,826)
• Land at Bulwer Street (£913)
• 76 Gregg Street (£913)
• 15-21 Market Place (£913)
• Carr Croft Farm (£913)