MACCLESFIELD Cricket Club has defended its plans to move from Victoria Road and released this artist's impression of the proposed state-of-the-art £3.5m sports complex.
The 156-year-old club contends that the sale of its current dilapidated ground to housing developers JS Bloor Ltd is the only way to ensure the future of the resident cricket, hockey and bowling clubs, and would also safeguard junior and community sport. All grant applications have failed.
The new London Road facility would include two cricket grounds, a floodlit all-weather hockey pitch, a floodlit crown green bowling green, a floodlit football pitch, a brick clubhouse and a car park.
But many residents around both sites have slammed the plans. They've submitted a 188-signature petition and more than 30 letters of objection, concerning the size of the developments, loss of green space and traffic impact.
Michael Burdekin, club president, said: "In recent years the facilities at Victoria Road have fallen behind the standards expected by the ECB Cheshire County League for the premier division, in which Macclesfield Cricket Club have played since the formation of the league in 1974.
"The present ground is too small to accommodate the number of senior and junior matches and has become hemmed in by surrounding developments, which precludes upgrading and leads to problems with financial viability.
"At the same time Macclesfield Hockey Club does not currently have its own playing facilities and has to hire pitches for its various senior and junior teams.
"The focus of the sports club has, in recent years, been firmly on the development of junior sport. The Macclesfield Junior Cricket Academy runs seven teams from Under 11s up to Under 17s in addition to developing links with 15 local schools, hosting schools 'kwik' cricket competitions and allowing local high schools to use the ground as a 'home' venue.
"Likewise, the hockey club has also been involved in coaching of youngsters from the locality and is now developing a strong junior set up. The hockey club sees a wide range of ages catered for, with membership ranging from 14 to 80. This is a club that truly cherishes its community involvement."
JS Bloor Ltd of Wilmslow wants to build 40 two-storey houses and 20 two-to-three-storey apartments on the Victoria Road site. The applications will be considered at a meeting of the full planning committee on Monday, August 11.
Mr Burdekin added: "The proposed development (London Road) will build on the opportunities for juniors in the area by providing improved quality of facilities and structured coaching.
"This can only be financed by the sale of the Victoria Road site for housing development, the club having already undertaken exhaustive efforts to achieve its goals via various grant funding bodies. All grant enquiries have proven unsuccessful.
"Whilst the cricket club regrets that selling the site is necessary, it considers that this is justified by the overall benefits to the town of having sports facilities of the highest quality.
"Without this drastic action, the future of the sports club, with all its benefits to junior sport, fitness and rounded development of local youngsters, is certainly under threat in the very short term."
