Agenda item

To receive the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

The Leader moved, and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations.

The Strategic Director for Place presented the report, making the following points:

·        this was a community project and was rooted in the community;

·        it was in line with Exeter’s Corporate Plan, particularly People and Health;

·        approval would unlock significant external funding;

·        this project would support grassroots football;

·        the current facility was aging and many of the turf pitches were unusable in poor weather due to drainage;

·        the Council was working closely with Exeter City Community Trust;

·        planning permission for improvements had been granted in 2025;

·        significant improvements would be made in the pitches, accessibility, environment, and the experience of people using the facility;

·        there was also a commitment to biodiversity improvements;

·        £464,948.02 would be from s106;

·        this project had been identified as meeting the requirements to use s106 funding;

·        extensive community engagement with residents, clubs, school leagues and community groups had been carried out by ECCT;

·        feedback on this project had been overwhelmingly supportive;

·        one of the key hopes for this project was development of youth football, and football for women and girls;

·        close attention had been paid to the building design, and it would be up to BREEAM Excellent Standard;

·        the 3g pitch is a priority, and meetings would be had with Sport England and the Football Foundation; and

·        replanting of an orchard, and hedgerows and trees would take place.

In response to questions from Members, the Strategic Director for Place provided the following answers:

·        all the funding identified was from completed developments and had been received already;

·        there were currently no set performance objectives, but the Council were working with ECCT as part of the project;

·        using existing parts of the building was more cost effective than demolishing and starting again;

·        the infill of the artificial playing surface would be dealt with through the planning process; and

·        the disposal of the artificial playing surface at the end of its life span would be dealt with through the planning process.

During debate, Councillor Moore, as Leader of the Green Group made the following comments:

·        she was pleased to see this but wanted her concern about the material being used for the artificial pitch to be recorded;

·        the materials being used wouldn’t be taken out of use until 2031; and

·        this project was important for the community and was a good example of the community working with the Council.

Councillor Holland, as Leader of the Conservative Group, made the following comments:

·        he supported this with no reservation;

·        the Exeter City Community Trust were a fantastic partnership;

·        he welcomed the biodiversity that this project would bring; and

·        he hoped that thought would be put into the placement of the proposed orchard.

During debate, Members made the following comments:

·        this development could not come soon enough;

·        there was a shortage of football pitches in the city, and the use of 3g pitches would extend playability;

·        the 3g pitch would extend the capacity;

·        using s106 funding was fantastic, and provided an opportunity to use funding that might be lost;

·        this project was a testament to hard work over a number of years;

·        concerns had been raised by players about the quality of the existing pitches;

·        this was a good example of local authority working in partnership with community groups;

·        greater capacity for matches should be welcomed;

·        developments to playing surfaces should be minded, and the playing surface should be kept under review;

·        the increase in football offered to women and girls was particularly positive;

·        the women’s Euros last summer inspired more people to start putting together girls football teams;

·        Exeter City Community Trust was a great asset to the city;

·        artificial surfaces were almost never rendered unusable due to weather;

·        it was important that we educate young people on staying safe in nature;

·        lots of positive comments had been received from residents on social media; and

·        the report made it clear that this was positive, there had been good partnership work, and it was able to attract funding from elsewhere.

In summing up, the Leader, Councillor Bialyk, made the following points:

·        the collaboration that had happened in bringing this forward needed to be remembered;

·        this highlighted that the Council were able to work in a collaborative manner with other organisations;

·        it was important that rubber crumb was remembered, but this was a planning issue;

·        participation from all age groups was important; and

·        every councillor should be proud of what was happening here.

Following a unanimous vote, the recommendations were CARRIED.