Councillors have expressed their anger that there is yet another delay to the Farnborough Road Football Stadium Development. The plans went before the City Council planning committee today (Thursday) but met with an objection from the Environment Agency on the basis of the flooding risk to the area.
Map of Castle Vale showing areas at risk of flooding. The light areas (near the Farnborough Road site) are in light blue because they are ‘high risk’.
The Council now have until 29th January to come up with a Flood Risk Assessment. If they fail to get it, the plans will be turned down.
Councillor Lynda Clinton said: “It is appalling that we are deferring the decision because our own department hasn’t done what it said it would do”.
Councillor Mike Sharpe told the Chair of the Committee: “This is something desperately needed in Castle Vale. I hope we haven’t got to wait another twelve months for something to happen. We had been told that this situation had been dealt with.”
The Planning Committee has voted to hand the matter over to the Director of Planning, giving him powers to decide on the planning application “within a few days”.
The proposed plans included: a single storey extension to the existing football stand to include a gymnasium, dance studio, classroom, youth centre, changing facilities, reception, offfices and stores. Outside there are plans for six all-weather 5-a-side soccer pitches, with floodlighting, and an extended car park.
£3 million of public and private money is being invested into the project. In view of flooding problems nationally last summer, insuring a new stadium against flooding in the light of the advice from the Environment Agency is likely to prove difficult.
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