At the meeting of the District Council’s Planning Committee this week, a planning application that sets out the access, appearance, landscaping, layout, and scale for the new pavilion, was approved. The plans also include a club room for community use and events. Residents have fed into the building’s design via the Council’s Northstowe Community Forum. The planning application was supported by Northstowe Town Council, Longstanton Parish Council and Local District Councillors Cllr Sarah Cheung-Johnson and Cllr Alex Malyon.
The new pavilion will be constructed around the edge of the bowling green at the Northstowe Western Park. It will provide local sports teams with six changing rooms, changing facilities for sports officials, a kitchen, clubroom, reception and office space, a kitchen, and toilets.
An air source heat pump will be installed to provide heating and hot water for the building, which will have energy efficient LED lighting. Conduits to allow the future installation of Electric Vehicle charging points in the car park will be installed during construction. There will be solar panels on the roof and bird or bat boxes within the walls.
£1.1 million in funding to construct the pavilion was secured by South Cambridgeshire District Council from developers L&Q Estates, who are the master developer for phase one at Northstowe. Additional costs to further boost the quality of the building, and make it environmentally friendly, are being met by the Council.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Dr.Tumi Hawkins, said: “This is proof that we really are working to help Northstowe become even more of a place where people will want to live, work and play. This is an important building that will not only be well used by local sports teams, but also by the wider community. I am pleased to see that the pavilion features a range of energy efficiency measures, not least an air source heat pump. These are the standards we must be aiming for in new buildings as we try to tackle the climate and ecological emergency on a local level. It’s also important to note that we have agreed that, before bricks start being laid, a scheme that will set out how the building will not only protect but enhance the local biodiversity should be agreed. I’m looking forward to seeing this important new facility that we will be delivering come to life and be full of excited sports teams and community events.”
One of the South Cambridgeshire District Councillors for Northstowe, Cllr Alex Malyon, added: “We are delighted that we’re one step closer to a permanent community building in Northstowe with this sports facility. The community has so many groups and sports teams springing up so we know that these facilities will be well used and are eagerly anticipated. The building will also have a full changing places toilet within it, to help make the building inclusive and accessible for Northstowe and wider community. We are especially pleased with the focus the District Council has placed on the green initiatives and would like to thank all residents who gave feedback on this building.”
The application was brought to the Planning Committee to determine because the District Council is the applicant.
Elsewhere, the District Council continues to work with residents and the local businesses community on plans for two future key parts of Northstowe; the Local Centre and Enterprise Zone. This comes after the Council purchased both sites earlier in 2021 in an effort to kickstart the development of their facilities for local people. A community building will provide a central focus point for this area. The Council also continues to progress plans for a Civic Hub in the centre of Northstowe. When complete, the Civic Hub will house further facilities for the local community.
The report discussed by the Planning Committee can be found here
Image: Sports pavilion entrance - CREDIT: Saunders Boston Architects