A football club has been given permission to create a container storage site on part of its grounds to “generate some income for the club”.
A football club has been given permission to create a container storage site on part of their grounds to “generate some income for the club”.
The plans accepted for the AFC Sudbury site will see 30 containers stationed on unused land at the Brundon Lane football ground as well as the construction of a new driveway for vehicle access around the perimeter of the football ground to avoid existing tree roots.
Andrew Long, chairman of AFC Sudbury, said: “In a time of such economic difficulty and uncertainty for so many businesses and families up and down the country, it is good to see our local authority helping smaller businesses to create an environment which helps supplement other sources of income which have been lost due to circumstances outside of their control.”
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Sudbury Town Council gave its backing to the project, and Chris Cornish, senior environmental protection officer for Babergh District Council (BDC), also supported the plans.
Whymark & Moulton Chartered Surveyors in Sudbury said on behalf of their clients: “The storage containers will be used as additional secure storage for the football club itself but also and mainly for renting out as secure self-storage to generate some income for the club.
“It’s a community organisation so funding is always a prime consideration. The land is currently unused and has been subject to a specialist ecological report.
“The proposal includes some new hedge/tree planting and other mitigation enhancements to benefit wildlife and the local environment.
“We did have a pre-application meeting with the planning officers, before submitting the planning application to confirm it would be supported.”
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However. the plans have caused concern for some residents and attracted 11 objections including from Ross Bentley, who said: “The football ground backs right onto the Sudbury common lands - water meadows that were designated as a local nature reserve in 1990 and a county wildlife site in 2007.
“The area is widely regarded as the ‘jewel in Sudbury’s crown’ and is a haven for wildlife and people looking for peace.”
Case officer for Babergh District Council, Jasmine Whyard said in her recommendation report: “The proposed change of use of land for the stationing of 30 shipping containers for ancillary use to Sudbury Football Club and to let out is considered acceptable in principle. The proposed shipping containers would be beneficially used directly by the football club for storing equipment, kit, etc.
“Indirectly they would help the club diversify their sources of income.
“The site falls within a linear industrial estate, where shipping containers for letting for storage purposes is considered a suitable and compatible use.”
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