Sutton Bridge: residents back new sports pavilion and call for action on Bridge Hotel

Support for a new sports pavilion on Memorial Park and the dangerous state of the Bridge Hotel were among issues raised at Sutton Bridge annual parish meeting.

Residents wanted to know why the replacement for the pavilion was taking so long when it has come to the end of its useful life.

Parish council clerk Robert Smith said Sutton Bridge United Football Club (SBUFC) approached the parish council with a request to support grant applications for a new pavilion.

In October 2018, a lease produced by the football club's then chairman was rejected because the council felt the terms were unacceptable.

The council set up a committee with three co-opted members from SBUFC to oversee the financing and construction of a replacement.

Mr Smith said in January 2019, given that there was limited space for pitches on the Memorial Park, the committee decided to look at the possibility of pitches and a pavilion on parish council owned farmland north of the village, known as Speechley's Land.

Due to access issues, the project was delayed until an associated planning application was considered.

Mr Smith said planning refusal in April 2019 for the associated land led to the conclusion that pitches and a pavilion on Speechley's Land would be problematic.·

In September 2019, SBUFC members of the pavilion committee reported there was an opportunity to acquire seven acres of land near Wright's Lane for pitches and to build the new sporting facilities.·

Mr Smith said in November 2019, SBUFC wrote to the parish council asking for the Memorial Project to proceed on the basis that the Speechley's site would be too expensive and the Wright's Lane site could be developed over a longer time period, subject to agreement with the Henry Smith Charity (HSC).

Later that month the parish council asked for design and build quotations for a new pavilion on Memorial Park.

On January 20 this year the council learned HSC is willing in principle to grant SBUFC a long lease to allow for a new recreation ground at Wright's Lane.

It was later confirmed that the building of changing and other facilities to support the sports ground was also considered.

At the parish council meeting on February 25, it was noted that a meeting between the council and agents of the HSC would take place the following day, and that the sourcing of design and building quotations was awaiting the outcome.

At the meeting between Savills (HSC's agents) and the council, it was indicated that HSC would be open to providing land either leased or purchased for the provision of sports pitches and facilities at Wright's Lane.

Mr Smith said Savills would investigate and report back on access rights to the land, and the outcome will be reported to the next parish council meeting.

* Parish council chairman Simon Booth said a meeting with South Holland District Council's building consultancy manager to discuss next steps with the derelict Bridge Hotel had been postponed by the district council and Mr Smith said the parish is chasing a new date.

Mr Smith said the district was the proper authority to deal with derelict and dangerous buildings such as the Bridge Hotel.