Residents against new £1.7m sport pitches near Telford ski slope

People living in Madeley, Telford, say the fields are already well used by the community and they are worried they will lose access to them should the plans go ahead.

The planned 3G pitch would be sited on playing fields near the Telford Snowboard and Ski Centre in Madeley. The scheme would also provide dedicated parking and an extension to the ski centre offering new changing rooms.

The plans are moving forward after Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet agreed to provide £427,000 of funding for the scheme during a meeting at Addenbrooke House in May.

The rest of the cost would be covered through the capital programme.

The entire scheme will see the ski centre turned into an all-round leisure facility, which the council hopes will improve facilities in south Telford. The proposal has been designed to meet the relevant Sport England recommendations.

It is hoped the scheme would see around 42,000 admissions of adults and juniors.

But the plans, formally submitted in May, have already received 18 objections from people in Madeley.

Genna Daniels, of the Shropshire Army Cadet Force Madeley Platoon, said: “As an instructor in the Army cadet detachment at the top of the playing fields this will leave the kids at the detachment with a disadvantage.

“We regularly use the playing fields for training, field craft lessons and PT.

“Due to the plans involving both the fields and the grass directly next to the detachment it will leave the kids with no outdoor space to be able to learn and practise in.

“As you can imagine, being the Army cadets, a lot of the lessons and training is best conducted outdoors and we do not have enough space to be able to do most of the lessons within the detachment gates.”

Neighbour Kelli Calland said: “This is a community used area, junior football matches are already played here.

“The fields are used by many local kids, kite flyers, dog walkers and families. The warm weather has seen many people flock to the area to picnic and spend time with their family.”

Jude Pilgrim, of Court Street, said: “This proposal will significantly restrict public access to land local people have used for many years by creating and fencing off a plastic pitch.”

The plans submitted by Telford & Wrekin Council says residents have already been consulted on the scheme. Invites were sent to 60 residents along Court Street and Coronation Crescent to a public consultation meeting held at the ski lodge on February 15.

A total of 17 written responses were received. Most were in favour of the development with some concerns raised regarding the increase in vehicle movements along Court Street and the effects on the amenity of adjacent properties, which have been addressed in the plans.