Dear Sir,
Kenilworth Wardens Development Needs

Kenilworth Wardens are perhaps the largest provider of sporting facilities in Kenilworth, covering not only junior and senior cricket, but also junior and senior football. We now have a very large membership, which, as you will see below, has expanded well beyond our expectations, but our facilities have basically remained unchanged for 20 years.

The standard at which all teams at the Wardens play has also risen significantly, which in itself has a massive bearing on the required quality, availability and layout of the pitches being used.

When Wardens moved to Glasshouse Park in 1989, we had 2 cricket teams, one senior Sunday football team, no junior football and 2/3 junior cricket teams.

The facilities comfortably met our needs: 2 cricket squares, one artificial wicket, one senior football pitch, outfields for practice, and indoor nets.

Over the last 20 years, there has been a massive expansion of both sports.

Cricket

There are now 4 senior cricket sides on Saturday, one on Sunday, midweek cricket games, a ladies team and over 100 junior cricketers at U8 to U17 levels. We also rent out our ground to other clubs for midweek games, as well as hosting various county junior fixtures and a 3 day county 2nd XI fixture.

Cricket facilities have been improved with the addition of outdoor nets, both grass and artificial, and extra new wickets on both squares.

The standard of cricket has also risen significantly, the first team moving up from a local league to the Premier division of the Birmingham League, although currently heading the First Division. Both 3rd and 4th teams play in the Cotswold Hills League. Junior cricket is also extremely active, supported by several qualified coaches and superlative training sessions, recognised by the Warwickshire Cricket Board and the ECB as being one of the best organised in the area. Junior sides now also play in competitive matches regularly. Junior training on Friday is very busy, using all areas of the 2 outfields and the nets, as well as occasionally both squares.

This all puts pressure on the squares, and our wickets are considerably over-used every season, despite the recently added extra wickets.

90% of the players are from within a 3 mile radius of the club.

We are also an accredited ECB Clubmark club.

Football

From having a single Sunday morning team, Wardens senior football now have 2 Saturday teams and 2 Sunday teams.

In addition, there are now 22 junior football teams, aged from U7 to U16 and a youth team, each with their own team manager and coach. As with the cricket, junior football training is also recognised by the FA as being one of the best organised in the area.

There is however still only one senior football pitch, with 3 junior pitches on the outfield of the 2nd cricket pitch and 3 mini pitches on the outfield of the main cricket pitch. The majority of junior teams play their home fixtures on pitches around Kenilworth. This causes much dissatisfaction amongst these members, who are paying the same subscriptions as everyone else, but are unable to make use of our own facilities.

We will also be welcoming a further 3 junior teams in 2013-14, who will be playing as Wardens teams.

80-90% of junior footballers come from within a 3 mile radius of the club, and training of all teams takes place at either the Wardens or at Kenilworth School.

We are also an accredited FA Charter Standard club.

Overall

The huge expansion of sporting activity at Wardens has put considerable pressure on what are now totally inadequate facilities. We have outgrown our existing site well beyond our original expectations and plans. Apart from having insufficient pitches, the layout can cause major problems at the changeover period from football to cricket and back. As all junior matches are played on the cricket outfields, all afternoon football stops once the cricket season starts. And if a cricket match is played on the main square, we do not allow any football, junior or senior, to be played simultaneously on adjoining areas for safety reasons. This is a particular problem when there is a backlog of football matches caused by postponements. In addition outfields need a period of recovery before cricket can be played.

More football pitches are required to allow all our teams to play at home, and a 3rd square, set in one of the 2 outfields will help to improve the condition and standard of the main squares.

With the correct layout of pitches, and an increased number, it would be possible to allow all sports to be played at the same time, thus eliminating the end of season conflicts of interest between football and cricket.

It is estimated that we would need the following pitches:

2 cricket squares/pitches
3rd square on one outfield
Grass and artificial nets
Artificial wicket on 2nd square

2 senior football pitches
4-6 junior/mini football pitches
Plus junior/mini pitches on cricket outfields as bad weather back-up
Training pitch (longer term)
Floodlit artificial pitch (longer term)


As a CASC, we are extremely conscious of our duty to provide a community based club within the confines of Kenilworth. It is Kenilworth Wardens' objective to continue to provide sustainable top class sporting facilities in the area, but the only way we will be able to do this is if we can move to suitable new premises, large enough to accommodate an adequate number of pitches within a workable, suitable layout and with the potential for future expansion. We are justifiably proud of what we have achieved in the last 20 years, on what is a relatively speaking restrictive site. In order to remain Kenilworth's premier sports club, playing a major role in the local community and offering a high standard of sport and junior training recognised and accredited by the sports' governing bodies, such a move is essential.

General Comments

With regards to the local plan, and the Eastern Kenilworth development area in particular, it is our considered opinion that to site a school at the edge of a development, ie on our existing site, rather than in the centre is far from sensible. Apart from contravening recognised planning guidelines, it would create major traffic problems, as pupils are ferried from one end of the site to the other. This is hardly a green approach, or indeed a healthy approach. A centrally located school would allow pupils to either walk or cycle easily, and would significantly alleviate any morning/evening congestion of cars coming from just one direction.

We would ask that this element of the proposal be seriously reconsidered, and redrawn following accepted planning guidelines as well as following the recommendations of the Highway Authority.

We thank you for this opportunity to respond to the proposed local plan, and hope that our wishes and desires to continue to offer the youth of Kenilworth a sustainable high standard of sporting facilities are given the fullest consideration.