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    England and Wales Cricket Board visit Bristol

    30 March 2012

    Representatives from the England and Wales Cricket Board were in Bristol yesterday to hear from Gloucestershire County Cricket Club how plans to redevelop the ground in Nevil Road are progressing.

     

    The visit comes following the submission to Bristol City Council of a new planning application aimed at providing improved facilities for the growth of cricket in the region and including a venue capable of supporting international games.

     

    The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decides whether or not a Club can be allowed to host international cricket.

     

    Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) currently holds a conditional category B status, but needs to enhance facilities through redevelopment to retain it and, therefore, secure international games going forwards.

     

    As part of normal procedure, the ECB visits Clubs looking to achieve an upgrade in status to learn of the progress of planning applications and garner feedback from the local community. This included a visit to Bristol City Council to discuss the cricket club's ambitions  with Bristol City Council Deputy Leader Simon Cook.

     

    Chief Executive of GCCC Tom Richardson said: “It is great to have the ECB in Bristol to discuss how we are getting on and what the new plans look like, as well as updating them on our pre-application consultation and the feedback we have received.

     

    “We have, of course, been in close contact with the ECB throughout all of our activities and we will continue to keep them up to date on proceedings as we move forwards.”

     

    Gordon Hollins, Managing Director Events and County Business at the ECB, said: “It is a major part of our work to ensure that we keep up to speed with the Clubs that are pursuing redevelopment plans and are interested to discuss them with the key stakeholders involved in this process.

     

    “Building on the success of the county clubs is central to creating the right infrastructure for the sport to grow and develop and our job is to help oversee this process in line with the overall national picture.”

     

    Simon Cook, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Capital Projects said: “The cricket club plays a very important role in the city and I am very keen to see international cricket remain at Nevil Road. This will be a good opportunity to stress our support for the club's ambitions to the ECB, although the specific issue of the future planning application is of course a matter for the independent planning committee to decide.”

     

    The new planning application, which follows on from one that was rejected by the Development Control Committee in January, is centred around changes to a housing development that is needed to ensure the Club can upgrade the ground's facilities.

     

    The changes remove one storey, so the penthouse block is six storeys high. To accommodate the 12 flats removed through the reduction in height, the building will be extended on the Kennington Avenue end of the block.

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