Otford Cricket Club propose permanent cricket nets on the Recreation Ground

[Mark Stevens]

Your comments are invited….

Otford Cricket Club now has over 175 junior and senior members and has been looking to improve the cricket facilities available on the Recreation Ground. A new permanent cricket net facility is proposed which will be available for all users of the Recreation Ground.

This is an important development for the Club and the recreation facilities available to the village. The cost of over £20,000 will be borne by the cricket club with the help of grant funding. The ongoing maintenance will also be the responsibility of the cricket club.
Some answers to questions you may have……

Why this location? There are a number of reasons that favour this location. Firstly, the cricket club’s cricket square is at this end of the Recreation Ground. Secondly that this location is in a little used area of the Recreation Ground and thirdly it is also thought that this location will also help to deter vandalism.

What will they look like? The picture attached exaggerates the height of the nets (they will be 12 feet in height) but is a useful photo montage by Mike Harris Photography of what the proposed nets might look like.

Will they result in any costs to the parish rate payers? No! This is entirely funded by the Cricket Club with grant assistance from outside and ongoing maintenance will be paid for by the Cricket Club. The cricket club would, of course, be delighted to receive any financial assistance offered as the amounts involved are much greater than existing internal resources!!

Will the nets affect other users of the Recreation Ground? It is thought not as they have been located in an area of the Recreation Ground where there are no current football pitches and the nets have been sited close to the existing hedge to minimize ingress into the Recreation Ground.

When will construction take place and will it inconvenience users of the Recreation Ground? The funding of the project is still in the process of being secured. This could happen in the next few weeks. Once the go ahead is given to proceed with the build it is likely to take less than 3 weeks from commencing on site to completion. Any inconvenience on site will be minimized as work will be restricted to the area set aside for the nets only.

The above summary has tried to answer the main questions that are thought may arise. If you require any further information and/or you have any comments on the proposed nets please contact Otford CC Club Captain Mark Stevens on 01959 523881; send him an Email on stevens@ot32.wanadoo.co.uk or write to him at 32 Leonard Avenue, Otford TN14 5RB or leave your comments with the Heritage Centre.