Ready, steady, grow! - £0.5m boost for sports and wellbeing proposed for Stowmarket

Cabinet members are due to consider Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) bids at a meeting on Tuesday 10 December, including more than £497k for an active track which will include a 6-lane 100 metre sprint section as well a separate mini-athletics track (200m oval) plus an allowance for future floodlighting for a second rugby pitch at Chilton Fields.

CIL payments are legally required from developers of residential sites across the district. The money collected is then reinvested into the community to ensure local facilities can develop at the same rate as housing growth.  

If agreed, the CIL funding would support the council’s commitment to improve sports, leisure and wellbeing facilities for the community in Stowmarket and the first phase of works currently underway. 

In recent months, the council has installed a brand-new outdoor fitness trail to replace a much older and well used trim trail as well as working alongside Stowmarket Cricket Club to secure and install new cricket nets at their Chilton Fields base. 

Cllr Andrew Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “Since the conception, this has been an ambitious project but one that I am pleased to see we are making such great progress with.

“The outdoor fitness trail has proved popular with local residents and fitness groups making use of the new facilities to exercise individually but also within groups and the new cricket nets are up and ready for the next season to begin.  

“As a council, we have always been very clear about our commitment to sports and wellbeing facilities and this is just one of the ways that we can reaffirm that commitment. 

“This funding will allow us to push ahead with our plans and deliver some truly great facilities for the people of Stowmarket and surrounding areas.” 

This the latest development for the project, which is split into multiple phases and follows on from recently approved planning permission including to create a new shared sports pavilion and a 3G football pitch as well as works to enhance existing, and deliver new, outdoor recreational facilities. 

Associated infrastructure such as parking facilities and amended vehicular access is also included within the approved planning permission. 

This project is set to lead the way for future investment to ensure sports and wellbeing facilities are accessible to residents across the district.