£70m SportsTown netball courts approved despite trust concerns

Oldham Council has given the green light to a major phase of the £70m SportsTown project, paving the way for new netball courts and facilities outside Boundary Park. The planning committee approved the development on April 15, despite concerns about previous planning breaches by the project team.

The approved plans include netball courts on currently unused land, new changing rooms, terraced seating for the Little Wembley pitch, and a nine-metre tall art installation featuring an industrial wheel, embryo, and owl design. A new 'Bee Way' footpath will also run through the Boundary Park car park to improve pedestrian access.

Planning committee leader Cllr Marc Hince welcomed the development but expressed frustration over the applicant's track record. He pointed out that the embryo art installation was erected before planning permission was granted, and the Little Wembley pitch has been in use for three weeks without the required acoustic fencing.

The planning agent Richard Gee blamed supplier delays for the fencing issue, promising it would be installed within three to four weeks. Despite these concerns, committee members voted to approve the application, seeing it as a step forward for sports facilities and community regeneration in Oldham.