Waterlogged Burnley playing fields given drainage funding boost

Burnley Council negotiated an £85,000 Section 106 contribution towards the improvement of the football pitches in Lockyer Avenue from developer McDermott Homes as part of the nearby Kiddrow Lane housing development.

The funds will be used to install new drainage for all the football pitches after a number of matches had to be postponed during the wet winter months due to waterlogging.

Money will also be spent on improving overall pitch quality and will help increase playing capacity for all the pitches on site.

The council manages the playing fields on a long lease from Lancashire County Council and they are currently used by AFC Wolves Junior Football Club for training and matches throughout the year.

Burnley Council has commissioned the Sports Turf Research Institute to prepare detailed drainage designs for the pitch improvement scheme which, it is hoped, will be carried out this summer.

The pitches will be unavailable until the 2023/24 season to allow around nine months for the improvements to bed in and be ready for match play.

The council is working with the club to find alternative sites they can use for the 2022/23 season.

Coun. Margaret Lishman, the council’s executive member for health and wellbeing, said: “This work will improve the quality of the playing fields so they can be enjoyed year-round and provide a much-needed community facility that will help improve the health and fitness of our borough’s youngsters.”