News / Environment
School development to ‘preserve’ green space
A Bristol school says its sports pitches will preserve green space as a campaign to stop the development gathers steam.
Farfield High School, off Muller Road, which became an academy earlier this year, plans to build provision for football, rugby and cricket on South Purdown.
Planning permission was given for the pitches on the other side of Muller Road when the school was built ten years ago, but campaigners want a review.
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The school says the promised pitches will encourage outdoor activites and save money transporting pupils to other grass pitches in the city.
Sharon Davies, head of PE at the school, said: “Rugby will become an option for girls, not just boys, and we would have better provision of football, athletics, rounders, cricket and cross-country, both in lessons and after school.”
Friends of South Purdown says the ten-year-old planning permission is no longer relevant for the work which is due to start in September.
“A concern is that these plans are ten years old and no longer address the needs of the wildlife, the community and even the school and at the very least the development be put on hold whilst the plans are reviewed and public consultations held,” a spokesperson for the group said.
The school said neighbouring primary schools who lack grass areas will also benefit as they will be able to book free use of the pitches, which will also be open to the community for hire after hours.
For the last ten years, students have had to travel by bus to use grass pitches – currently at Ashley Down Rugby Club – at a cost of £30,000 a year for the transport and hire.
The need for playing fields has also become more acute because the number of students at Fairfield is increasing.
There are no plans to build changing rooms or toilets on Purdown, nor will there be any floodlights at the site. Students will be able to change at the school and walk to the new pitches.
“Creating them will preserve green space, which is appropriate in the year that Bristol is European Green Capital. An existing hedgerow will be retained and there are plans for planting to shield the new fences,” Principal Catriona Mangham said.
The new playing fields are expected to be ready for use by Spring 2017 at the latest.
Posters and banners opposing the development have gone up in the area urging residents to attend a public meeting at Eastville Library on June 30 at 7pm.
Main picture from @debbora61