A SPORTS club can add a a bowling green to its grounds after councillors gave plans the thumbs up.
Permission had previously been granted to Lichfield Sports Club on Eastern Avenue for three new pitches, an extension to its existing pavilion and additional car park spaces.
But the club had requested a variation to one of the planning conditions to enable the bowling green to be added alongside the car park extension.
The change was recommended for approval by Lichfield District Council officers ahead of a planning committee meeting.
Cllr Hugh Ashton described it as a “natural extension”, while Cllr Diane Evans said it was “an important development”.
But Cllr Serena Mears raised concerns over the proposed changes. She said:
“The car park has been extended because the club was at capacity before they doubled the size of the building. The car park is also painted up to be tennis courts.
“When you’ve got cricket and hockey tournaments going on, there isn’t enough parking – and now they’ve doubled the size of the building to facilitate events there as well.
“When they build the football pitches, they’re going to need the space where they want to put a bowling green to put the parking – it’s natural to extend the parking adjacent to what is already there.
“On top of that, there’s nowhere for the machinery to be stored that will be needed to maintain the bowling pitch.
“It’s a little bit hopeful when you take into account the plans that are already underway on the previous planning application.”
A report to the committee said the bowling green is proposed within the area originally approved for outdoor sports.
It added:
“It would be modest in scale, level with the surrounding land and visually consistent with the wider sporting use of the site.
“It would be laid out adjacent to the clubhouse and surrounded by a low boundary fence, not resulting in visual intrusion.
“The nature of the use – outdoor bowls – is quiet and unlikely to result in any undue noise, disturbance or overlooking, and there is no external lighting proposed.”
