Public Places
underwent rapid expansion, but there was little thought by town planners to build new areas for recreation”
“In the 1960s and 70s the villages around the county town of Chester
From a farmer’s field ...
Solar panels on the clubhouse roof generate £3000 of income every year
following since opening, including a healthy volume of passing traffic, due to the field’s location near to a B road, which runs past the village. The imposing wooden cantilever swing can be seen from the road, drawing attention from passers-by. One of the hurdles the trustees faced when applying for funding was that virtually all sources of funding available to them did not allow for the land purchase, which baffled both Andrew and the co-ordinating team. “The grant that enabled us to meet the deadline came from the council’s Rural Development Fund,” says Andrew. “This source did not initially allow grants to be used for land purchase, but we were able to persuade them to have another look at this restriction. So many sources have this restriction and it is probably the biggest obstacle to communities buying land for recreation.”
A total of 4.7 acres was eventually The football pitch is “flat and drains well”
purchased and half an acre leased from the landowner, who wanted to keep a small amount back for himself. The 5.2 acres allowed not only for the construction of a full-size football pitch but also community recreation amenities, such as a nature area with new trees, a woodland sculpture, a perimeter walkway for visitors and plenty of open space. Three teams currently play on the Ashton Hayes pitch at weekends, with each paying subs for the hire. “The pitch quality isn’t bad,” Andrew says, “but the question is, how long will it stay that way. After more than two years of play, we can still see the rows where the seed was sown. In hindsight, we should have left it to bed in for much longer than we did.” “That said, it’s flat and drains well,” he
The electric car has been the project’s only failure
88 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013
adds. “We’re set on good loamy soil, so when the weather is bad we are often the only pitch in the area that still sees play. We planned in a 1 in 100 slope to the pitch so rainwater would drain away and not pool anywhere. So far, that’s worked well.” Arguably though, the most captivating
feature of the development is the strong environmental focus and local desire for
carbon neutrality. The biggest capital spend of all was the clubhouse, which was rather fortuitously funded through another village pot.
Ashton Hayes had embarked on a carbon reduction programme of their own two years earlier, with the aim of moving towards carbon neutrality, a strategy that so far has brought about a 20% overall carbon reduction. The Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral group was awarded a hefty £400,000 grant by the Department for Energy and Climate Change to put towards ‘ground-breaking’ environmental projects in the village. The goalposts were moved, however, when the coalition government came to power in 2010 - putting a freeze on spending and placing on ice the committee’s plans. When the block was finally lifted, the cash had to be spent quickly, Andrew recalls. “We already had planning permission for a clubhouse, so when we were asked whether we’d like a carbon neutral clubhouse, we jumped at the opportunity.” From inception and design to construction, all works were completed in under five months, included men’s and women’s changing facilities, showers, toilets, a club room, kitchen and a garage equipped to power an electric car. The south-facing, 10kW roof of solar panels was perhaps the most impressive aspect, and brings an important financial dimension, generating £3,000 annually. “The solar panels are owned and operated by a community-interest company which gives us the income from rent of the roofspace.”
Hot water and heating is supplied
through a ground source heat pump and the showers are designed to mix water with air to reduce consumption. The electric car venture was the only facet of the build that hasn’t been a roaring success, but due to no fault of anyone involved. The specially designed garage was built to house the Nissan Leaf, which was purchased for use by the whole village.
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