A community sports facility is set to be given a £500,000 upgrade as part of North Tyneside Council’s ongoing investment in sports facilities.
Burradon Community Recreation Ground will be modernised to ensure that local sports clubs continue to thrive and create new opportunities for residents to get involved in sport.
The work will include the installation of a new mini soccer artificial grass pitch which is suitable for year-round football, while also providing a facility that can be hired by the community.
The grass pitches at the ground with also be significantly improved with new drainage to create a better playing surface. There will also be an overhaul of changing facilities to allow easier access for clubs using the football pitches.
Finally, a new irrigation system will be also installed at the bowling green to ensure a high-performance surface, along with better seating around the green.
It’s the latest project brought forward as part of the council’s commitment to maintain and improve sports and leisure facilities across the borough and support residents to lead healthy lives.
Work will begin immediately on the bowling green and changing rooms. Detailed design will also start on the artificial grass and natural turf pitches.
A planning application will also be submitted to seek final approval to begin on site and it is hoped that work on these facilities will start in the summer.
Councillor Ray Glindon, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at North Tyneside Council, said: “This investment is fantastic news for our sports clubs, user groups and residents.
“The project will provide a first-class facility, not only for the village, but for people right across the borough as part of the council’s ongoing commitment to improve sports and leisure facilities for all our residents.
“In the past, waterlogged pitches have meant that games have had to be called off, and we hope that this work will solve that problem and allow more sports to be played, whatever the conditions may be.”
Paul Bunyan, Club Chairman of Burradon Juniors Football Club, said: “This is fantastic news for our football club and the wider community in Burradon. I really want to thank the council for their support. These plans will mean our young players, both boys and girls, will have amazing high-quality facilities to help them develop as players and people. It’s a real boost to the club and the village.
Ralph Wilson, Secretary of Burradon Welfare Bowling Club, said: “We want to thank the council for their support in providing a new irrigation system for our bowling club. It will really help to improve the quality of the green especially during dry spells. This will benefit our players and all the visiting teams from across North Tyneside.”
The project follows the recent installation of a new full-sized artificial grass pitch at Amberley Playing Fields in Killingworth and the announcement of a scheme to repair the running track at Churchill Playing Fields in Whitley Bay.