Editor's choice March 2011

Heathan March 11 pdf

Alien Invasion?

by Peter Cole

The redevelopment of Warwickshire Cricket Club has long been a contentious issue for its neighbours. At a cost of £32 million of which £20 million, was borrowed from Birmingham City Council, the development has long had its opponents. With the recent completion of the ground’s 160ft floodlights, the number of critics has increased. Dominating the local skyline in a not too dissimilar scene from an alien invasion science fiction film, the five lights can be seen by residents and visitors alike for great distances in every direction. The permanent structures, with the appearance of raw galvanised steel, have been described by many as an ‘eyesore’ and ‘hideous monstrosities’. What had for many been considered an occasional headache through increases in traffic and noise would now prove to be permanent visual blot on the landscape.

Considerable Cost

The development forms part of a plan to retain the right to be a venue for international cricket. From its revenues the Club is aiming to meet the pressure of paying back £1m a year for the next two decades. With the current economic down turn affecting county cricket clubs, the ability to meet this demand has for many critics been cited as a possible future problem for Warwickshire Cricket Club. Recent trends in county cricket have seen clubs like Leicestershire and Lancashire reporting huge losses for 2010.

The costs to the club are not the only costs that need to be considered according to those who live within the shadows of the five new floodlights. According to members of the Cannon Hill Neighbourhood Forum property prices have been negatively affected as a result of the current redevelopment work. A question for many now is, will the floodlights have to be used for more than just cricket to repay Birmingham City Council? At a recent meeting the Chief Executive for the Club reassured representatives of the community that there weren’t any current plans to stage pop concerts at the ground. Planning restrictions for the use of the floodlights at present mean they can only be used for cricket.

A further problem associated with the recent changes taking place at the ground has been the use of a temporary marquee for functions. With many of the residents directly facing the site, the impact of sound pollution caused following the failure of a sound inhibitor, according to one resident, has meant that unnecessary distress has been caused for a very long period.

For many of the residents the new phase in the history of Warwickshire Cricket Club has come at considerable cost to them.