The Project
The project focused on approximately 5.4 hectares of existing playing fields, used primarily for football alongside rugby, Gaelic football and cricket. Make coordinated a specialist assessment of the existing pitches, considering ground conditions, levels, soils, drainage and patterns of wear to inform the feasibility study and options appraisal. A series of alternative layouts were developed to test different combinations of senior and junior football, rugby, Gaelic football and cricket provision.
The proposals considered relevant sporting guidance for pitch dimensions, run-offs and spectator and technical areas, with layouts progressively refined in response to stakeholder feedback. The study also identified wider statutory and environmental considerations associated with any future development of the site, including the requirement for consultation with the Local Authority and Natural England should the proposals progress.
The Challenge
The key challenge was balancing high levels of sporting use with the condition and carrying capacity of the existing natural turf pitches. Areas subject to greater use experienced increased wear and poorer grass cover, with the condition of the ground further affected during periods of wet weather. The site also presented physical constraints, including historic ridge and furrow, variations in ground levels, clay-dominated soils and limited drainage opportunities.
Make therefore needed to consider not only how the available space could accommodate the required sporting provision, but how pitch locations and patterns of use could be managed and rotated to reduce concentrated wear and allow individual areas to recover
The Outcome
The feasibility study provided Trinity School and Wollaton Hall & Bramcote FC with a series of options for the future configuration and management of the sports fields.
The proposed layouts demonstrated how different pitch sizes and sporting uses could be accommodated and rotated across the available land, providing greater flexibility to manage patterns of wear, reduce repeated use of individual areas and improve the long-term resilience of the playing fields.
Alongside the spatial options, the study identified the ground, drainage, maintenance and wider statutory considerations affecting the site, providing the stakeholders with an informed basis for future decision-making and investment in their sports provision.
