Lancashire given green light by council for second ground plans

ELIZABETH BOTCHERBY: The 5,000-capacity venue, which will be built on council-owned greenbelt land to the west of Stanifield Lane in Farington, has been approved by the council's development control committee

Lancashire's plans to build a second ground near Preston have been given the go-ahead by Lancashire County Council.

The 5,000-capacity venue, which will be built on council-owned greenbelt land to the west of Stanifield Lane in Farington, has been approved by the council's development control committee but still needs to be signed off by the government.

Lancashire announced plans for an additional facility in the centre of the county in December 2021, with club chair, Andy Anson, promising to deliver "fantastic elite facilities for both our men's and women's sides [which] can also be for recreational cricket and the wider community".

The 14-acre Farington site will include two full-size cricket pitches, a two-storey pavilion and practice nets, and will host up to six men's T20 matches per year. Two men's four-day fixtures and six women's matches will also be held at the ground.

Residents in neighbouring properties have voiced concerns about the noise impact from the ground but former Lancashire and England player Paul Allott said: "Lancashire are highly experienced at staging major events with minimal disruption to the local community."

^{Mark Chilton has long been advocating a second ground (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)}

Speaking to The Cricketer last summer, Lancashire director of cricket, Mark Chilton, believes the project will not only give the club a base when Emirates Old Trafford is being used for other fixtures and events but also provide pathway players in the north of the county with better access to coaching and facilities.

"There's a lot of traffic that comes through Old Trafford, too much to keep it as an elite facility," Chilton said. "The indoor school is jammed in the winter; [in summer] with The Hundred and international cricket we don't have a base for a month – we're nomadic.

"And this has been on the agenda for years. I remember writing in my second XI report back in 2014 that some control over facilities away from Old Trafford was necessary. If this project comes off, we can release that bit of pressure.

"For pathway cricket, it could be a game-changer. Lancashire's a big county and Old Trafford is right at the bottom. We're conscious of pulling people down from Preston, battling the traffic, so getting people here on a weekly basis can be a challenge. We try and find venues to avoid these long journeys but [with Farington] we'll be able to split programme for convenience while providing access to quality facilities."

^{Emirates Old Trafford is busy all summer (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

However, a second ground does not signal the end of the road for Lancashire's much-loved outgrounds, which include Aigburth – Lancashire's home base during their 2021 County Championship triumph, Blackpool CC, Southport & Birkdale CC, Sedbergh School and Sale CC. Instead, external facilities will be used on a "more appropriate basis".

"There's that much cricket being played across age-groups and pathways that we're hugely reliant on a number of clubs," Chilton said.

"Over the years, we have invested in Aigburth, Southport and Blackpool, and Sale are doing a great job hosting a lot of women's [matches]. But they're running to complete maximum; it's not sustainable what we're asking.

"We'd still like to use [outground] facilities but on a more appropriate basis. We do have some challenges with white-ball cricket, too. The men are hitting the ball so far that a lot of grounds aren't fit to host T20 games. Our preference would be to play four-day cricket, but I still see outgrounds as an important part of what we do."

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