By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans have been submitted for two new 3G football pitches on Sutton Lawn.
They are likely to create fresh worry about parking in the area after documents show they could attract more than 30 cars at once.
Permission was given for a new 11-a-side pitch earlier this year, but Ashfield District Council said no work would go ahead until parking problems in the area were resolved.
Nearby Penn Street and Gresham Close were named as two problem hotspots where people parked “without courtesy”.
A separate planning application to create a dedicated car park for Sutton Lawn is also in the pipeline.
The new 3G pitches would be surrounded by four-metre-high fences, with 13-metre floodlights, replacing the current 3G pitch.
Ashfield Council, which has submitted the plans, says the ‘worst case scenario’ for parking would be four children’s five-a-side games going ahead at once.
The total number of players, spectators, coaches and referees would be up to 85, with an estimated 34 vehicles.
Estimates for other uses of the pitches are lower.
The council also approved its plans for a large grass pitch in June, but leader Councillor Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind) said it should be paused until parking issues were resolved.
“I’m not comfortable doing something – good project or not – if it causes harm somewhere else,” he said at the time.
“There will be no starting work until it’s resolved as far as I’m concerned.”
Councillor Samantha Deakin (Ash Ind) also said: “The pitch is a brilliant idea in principle. But we need to protect residents around Penn Street and Gresham Close.
“The issues are bad there now – people don’t park with courtesy. If people leave their cars there, it will make it murder.
“Small sections of double yellow lines are needed to alleviate problems.”
A proposed car park at Sutton Lawn would create an extra 60 car parking spaces to alleviate the problem.
