Barnsley Cabinet to approve £1m for new Parkside sports facility

As part of the Hoyland Masterplan, which will see 1,116 new homes, a new primary school, and the Hermes Hub which is under construction, the sporting facilities at Rockingham will be relocated.

A report to be considered by cabinet at heir next meeting on February 14 states: "The Rockingham Sports Ground is currently held under a lease by the Forge Community Partnership for a term of 25-years from the 1st April 2010.

"Therefore, the sale of the Council’s land will require the relocation of the sporting facilities, users of the sports ground and the community hall to an alternative piece of land within the Hoyland area, as well as a two-phase surrender of the existing leasehold interest by Forge."

Cabinet is asked to approve the £1.16m to fund the construction of a new pavilion at Parkside to compensate for the loss of facilities at Rockingham.

The cost is expected to be recouped from future S106 contributions.

The report also asks for the approval of the submission of a joint bid with the Forge Partnership to the Football Foundation for the provision of an artificial grass pitch, in the region of £700,000.

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"Forge will require a replacement building following the second and final surrender of their leasehold interest in the Rockingham Sports Ground," adds the report.

"As a result, it is proposed to front fund the building of a new pavilion at the Parkside site.

"This should avoid the need to provide a temporary building in the first instance.

The new Parkside Sports Ground will be 4 hectares, and the site will be ‘designed to be highly energy efficient and fossil fuel free’.

The new building will be ‘required to service sporting activities on the site’ such as football, archery, and outdoor exercise along with health and community uses.