Councillors at last night’s (Monday 13 December) meeting of the Full Town Council voted to approve – with some amendments – the recommendations of their Working Party regarding proceeding with the creation of a training area on The Common. The site to be developed will be the ‘Frees Avenue’ option site (see above), which is to be used by both the Rugby Club (Marlborough Rugby) and the Youth Football Club (MYFC). For both organisations this will be mainly for the use of younger players.
Councillors were supportive of the recommendation but with certain concerns which required amendment.
Councillor Nick Fogg, who chaired the Working Party noted that the ‘Frees Avenue’ site (as opposed to the ‘Golf Club’ site marked in the aerial pic above) would have ‘least impact’ on The Common and users of The Common.
However, Councillor Caroline Thomas, whilst being supportive, expressed her concerns regarding ongoing cost and clarification of what ‘as appropriate’ actually meant (in section ‘d’ of the recommendation – ‘The management and maintenance of any new area would be jointly shared between MRFC, MYFC and MTC as appropriate‘), and also that the Rugby Club and Youth Football Club should also be addressing the ‘Habitat Enhancements’ directly, as set out in section ‘a’ of the recommendation – ‘That all the ‘Habitat Enhancements’ as stated in the ecology report are adhered to and carried out by MTC.’ This was eventually amended to include ‘in conjunction with’ both organisations in addition to ‘MTC’.
Whilst these issues were discussed, no mention was made of the siting of this training area which is to be used primarily by younger players. It will be further up Frees Avenue (see pic above) which whilst offering ‘least impact’ on the Common or users of The Common, it will be more costly but it does open a different consideration, not voiced at all last night, that of the impact of Frees Avenue itself on the young users of this area.
When progressing out of Marlborough along Frees Avenue towards Rockley and Hackpen, once the Hyde Lane junction (and main entrance to The Common) have been passed, drivers inevitably tend to speed up. The concern that was not voiced by any Councillor present last night was of road safety, and the likelihood of children and youths crossing Frees Avenue, or walking back down the road the two/three hundred yards to the Rugby clubhouse and car park, where their parents would be waiting to collect them.
No member of the Rugby Club or Youth Football Club present was invited to speak or contribute in this discussion last night.
Whilst great care will be exercised by both organisations towards the safety of young players using this new training area, especially relating to their route to either enter or exit this area, there have been incidents along this stretch of road which has created the need for some proposed extension of the speed restriction, currently being assessed by the Marlborough Community Area Transport Group. But as with any speed restriction, enforcement is the key to its effectiveness.
The alternate siting option – the ‘Golf Club’ area bounded in yellow on the above aerial pic would mean that users would likely cross Frees Avenue at the main entrance to The Common, at the Hyde Lane junction.