Once alerted to the damage caused to the football pitch on the morning of 31 March, the Parish Council and SMRA swung into action. Within less than 24 hours, we had organised specialist repair to be done under our control, but at the developers’ cost.
Despite it being Easter weekend, the remedial work was completed in just over a week by Gareth Case’s Lawn Doctor company aided by two of our volunteers. We will lose a few pitch hire bookings whilst the grass seed germinates and thrives in the warm spring weather, but SMRA will also be compensated for that.
The incident should never have happened as there was no permission in place to enter the Rec from the Bell Gardens’ Field. The work was drainage testing done in preparation for the forthcoming new Village Hall and car park.
We suspect that the developers’ commissioning process went badly wrong and the contractors were not told in advance that it was an active football pitch on a public Recreation Ground. Unfortunately, they did not check once they were onsite, even when that must have been obvious to them. They had been asked to leave the site ‘as found’, which as many will testify, was simply not the case. With photographic evidence supplied, the developers had to apologise for both the pitch invasion and the state in which it was left, as well as offering reimbursement of all repair costs.
It is possible that other work may be needed that requires the developers or their agents to access the Rec. We have since laid down requirements for any future permission to enter our land, including the notice required, the routes to be used, the use of appropriate Health and Safety equipment, and inspection by us before the contractors leave the site.