Shrewsbury Town offer £65,000 for community facilities over Lidl store bid
Shrewsbury Town Football Club have offered to pay tens of thousands of pounds towards community sports facilities in a bid to get a Lidl supermarket built at its stadium.
The club has written to Shropshire Council to say it is prepared to pay £65,000 for sports and recreation facilities in the local community and develop changing room facilities on site to Sport England specifications.
They hope this would prompt planners to approve proposals to switch a community use legal agreement from land at the front of the Greenhous Meadow stadium where a new Lidl could be built to the club's current training pitch at the rear, which would then become a community facility.
It is hoped this could be turned into a 3G pitch, although that does not form part of the application.
The authority's central planning committee has already given the supermarket planning permission, but have twice deferred a decision on switching the section 106 agreement.
If the plans were given the go-ahead, the football club would move its first team training base to a new facility at Sundorne Castle, which has had more than £500,000 of investment in the pitches and infrastructure.
Stuart Thomas, head of planning at Berry's, the agents working on behalf of the club, has told the planning department at Shropshire Council the club will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the pitch and facilities and will carry out the secondary drainage to the proposed community pitch at the end of the current season.
In a supporting statement, he said: "It is important to note that the training pitch was never identified as a community facility n the original planning permission so if the applications are approved there will be no loss of community facilities.
"Notwithstanding this point the club are willing to make a £65,000 s106 contribution to the council. This money would be made available to spend on sports and recreation within the local community.
"The sum has been identified by Sport England as the estimated cost of replacing a pitch.
"The area of land proposed is larger than the original designated area. It has existing drainage and maintenance programme and is of a standard for professional football use.
"The club are also offering to provide changing facilities as the new community pitch, details of which can be controlled via the amended s106 agreement.
"There is potential to renovate the existing office area opposite the pitch or build modular units. Either option will provide two 15 square metre changing areas with three showers and a toilet.
"In addition, a referee’s room with shower and toilet will be provided. All of the facilities will be carried out to Sport England specification.
"The secondary drainage system hasn’t yet been completed. The club’s intention is to complete this work at the end of the season.
"For the avoidance of doubt the club will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the pitch and associated facilities."
If approved, the community pitch would be leased to the registered charity Shrewsbury Town in the Community for a peppercorn rent.
It would be available to the wider community for 57 hours per week with the charity using it for 43 hours per week.
It would be available to the community between 7pm and 10pm every day of the week and will be used by four local football teams together with use by other sports such as rounder’s and fitness camps.
