Blaenavon Blues - Community Update
October 2010
The junior changing rooms were handed over to the Club on 9 August 2010. The senior pitch was handed over in time for the 16 October 2010 home game. A number of home games were played on the Blaenavon Rugby Football Club ground to enable the senior pitch a little extra time to establish. The relocation of Blaenavon Blues has been completed.
June 2010
The remedial works to the senior pitch have been completed. The pitch now needs a little time, and the right weather, to reinstate it ready for play. Its condition will be closely monitored.
Welsh Water will be undertaking its connections in July. Thereafter the 'skirt' to the changing room unit will be installed. Once the unit has been tested, it can be handed over to the Junior Section for their use.
31 May 2010
Work on the changing rooms, stand and dugouts for the senior relocation is complete.
The independent pitch investigation has been conducted and remedial works are underway, with a view to ensuring the pitch is playable by mid August.
No further progress has been made on the modest changing facilities for the juniors as we await Welsh Water to undertake their necessary connections.
30 April 2010
Work on installing modest changing facilities for the junior and ladies team started in March and the unit was delivered in mid April. We await Welsh Water to connect the water supply, which is scheduled for late May. Thereafter the unit will be ready for use by the Junior and Ladies teams and this element of the relocation is complete.
The work to the changing room and ancillary buildings for the senior side on the Dragon Fields should be completed by the end of May. There are issues with the pitch, which has not been draining properly and so the final relocation of the Blues cannot take place until this problem has been resolved. An independent investigator has been appointed to conduct tests and the results of these tests are due at the end of May, which will also recommend remedial action.
28 February 2010
Work on installing modest changing facilities for the junior and ladies team will start in March and will be delivered shortly thereafter.
The new senior pitch has suffered as a result of the unprecedented winter. Remedial works are being undertaken to bring it up to a playable standard. The upgrade to the changing rooms was slightly delayed by the weather and will be completed by end March, together with the other on site works such as the new fence, dugouts, stand etc. The senior section of the club will be relocated as soon as it is considered possible.
31 December 2009
The planning application for the junior changing facilities was finally received on 8th December. The planning approval is temporary for three years (only temporary planning approval can be granted on temporary buildings). Work will progress early in the New Year to undertake the civil works necessary, install the facilities and discharge the planning conditions.
The new senior pitch continues to be maintained and any remaining issues resolved with the Club. Work has commenced on extending the changing rooms, the stand, dug-outs and perimeter fence and is on programme for an early March completion.
31 October 2009
The new junior pitch is complete and has been handed over to the Club for them to use. The work on modest changing facilities continues and the planning application should be determined in the next few weeks.
The new senior pitch continues to be maintained. The planning approval for the changing rooms etc was received on 19th October and work will start soon.
31 August 2009
The new junior pitch continues to be maintained. It has been line marked and the posts installed. We anticipate an official handover in the next few weeks. Work on modest changing facilities for the junior and ladies sections is progressing.
The new senior pitch has been completed and is being maintained. We are awaiting planning approval for the improvements to the changing rooms, fencing, spectator stand and dugouts and as soon as this is received, works can commence. There were a number of issues raised by the planning officer and conservation officer that had to be considered and resolved.
31 July 2009
The new junior pitch continues to be maintained. Options for providing changing facilities for the Junior and Ladies section at their new pitch are being explored and will be progressed.
Work has started on the new senior pitch at the Quinns ground and is anticipated to be completed by end August/Early September. A contract for upgrading the changing rooms has been awarded and work will commence once planning permission has been obtained. The planning application is due to be determined in mid August.
30 June 2009
Turf has been laid to the old cricket ground and is being maintained ready for the start of the football season in mid August. Sadly, it was subjected to vandalism on 23rd June, however, the damage caused has now been repaired and the pitch restored to its intended condition.
Work will start early next month on developing the senior side pitch on the old Quinns ground.
31 May 2009
Turfing on the old cricket pitch has commenced.
The tenders for the work to the Quinns pitch and the changing rooms on that site have been issued and will be awarded in the next few months.
In addition, modest changing facilities on a Portacabin style basis for the junior/ladies section are being explored and will be located next to their new pitch on the old cricket ground.
31 March 2009
Work has recommenced on the old cricket pitch and, weather allowing, the turf will be laid by the end of April.
The Leylandii conifers were successfully felled without any incidence of nesting birds.
28 February 2009
Agreement has been received to turf the new ground on the old cricket area. This is anticipated to take place in April, which will mean the ground will be ready for play in July and work will begin on the Quinns pitch for the senior section's relocation.
The Leylandii conifers along the length of the Quinns pitch will need to be felled to enable the ground works on the Quinns pitch and erection of a new spectator rail and stand, dugouts and perimeter fence. The trees need to be felled before the bird nesting season. A felling licence has been obtained from the Forestry Commission and a contractor is about to be appointed to undertake the work.
31 January 2009
A quotation for turfing the new ground on the old cricket area has been received and the contractor asked to advise on how soon the turf can be laid and the pitch playable thereafter.
31 December 2008
An ecology study has been commissioned for the Quinns pitch as this will be the next area for redevelopment. A planning application for the work on this pitch is also being prepared as is a specification for the works, which will be tendered in the next few months. The proposed timetable is that work should commence in the early summer 2009 to ensure the ground is seeded and ready for play by early summer 2010. This would then release the Co-op field for development of the school and leisure elements.
In order to ensure that the junior and ladies section can move to the old cricket ground to enable work to begin on the Quinns pitch, a quotation has been sought for turfing rather than seeding. This will ensure the pitch is available for play during 2009.
30 November 2008
The ground works on the disused cricket pitch are underway. There has been a delay to seeding due to the weather conditions but otherwise the works are going to plan and remain within budget.
The Sports Council for Wales met with the Club on 22nd October to explain why their bid for funding was unsuccessful and what further support they may be able to offer in the future.
The Chairman of Blaenavon Blues, Mike Hall, passed away in October.
Our condolences go to his family.
30 September 2008
A contract to provide one senior football pitch for the Junior Section was awarded and works are underway. The ground works are anticipated to be completed on 3rd November 2008 and maintenance on the pitch will continue for 12 months. A temporary diversion of the commonly used footpath will be put in place to ensure the area is protected while still allowing residents to use it for walking. This drawing| shows what is eventually planned and the position of the senior pitch currently being developed.
31 August 2008
The tenders for providing one senior football pitch for the Junior Section on the disused cricket pitch were returned. A contract is ready to be awarded to the lowest bidder once a letter of intent and commitment has been received from the Club. It is therefore anticipated that works will commence in the next two weeks.
31 July 2008
The configuration of the disused cricket pitch was altered, with the agreement of the Blues, in order to protect good quality grassland and wild orchids that had been found by the Authority’s Senior Ecologist. The Authority has a legal duty to protect this grassland because it is a good habitat for wildlife.
Unfortunately, the Sportslott bid was unsuccessful. A specification for providing one senior sized pitch for the juniors on the disused cricket pitch has therefore gone to tender for return in the second week of August.
30 June 2008
The specification to convert the disused cricket pitch to one senior football pitch for use by the Blaenavon Blues Junior side was completed and shared with the Blues and will be going out to tender toward the end of July once the outcome of the Club’s Sportlott application is known. The Sportlott panel is meeting on 22nd July.
The Blues have also been given a plan showing the proposed changes to the changing rooms on the Harlequins site and the Club are still considering these changes and will be providing the Council with their views in the near future.
31 May 2008
A specification to convert the disused cricket pitch to one senior football pitch for use by the Blaenavon Blues Junior side is being drawn up and will be going out to tender soon. Work is expected to start in mid to late July.
30 April 2008
A panel date has been set by Sportlott for 22nd July to consider the application from Blaenavon Blues. We will also be meeting with Blaenavon Rugby Football Club soon to discuss the future of the changing rooms on the Harlequins site.
31 March 2008
A Sportslott bid for £95,000 to support the Junior Section was forwarded to the Sports Council for Wales on 28 March 2008. If forthcoming, the monies will be used exclusively to enhance their facilities on the Old Cricket Ground. We have had an indicative cost for upgrading the changing rooms on the Harlequins site (Memorial Ground) for the senior side use and have to do some more work on this before we can take the whole scheme forward.
31 January 2008
At the very end of the month, we met with Blaenavon Blues Football Club to discuss their re-location. The Blues need to re-locate from their current pitch on the co-op site and have elected to move to the Harlequins pitch, which they already use for the junior and ladies sides. They have aspirations of creating a Football Centre of Excellence for the town and our meeting was to look at a number of plans that had been drawn up for such a centre, that would be based on the Harlequins site, the Coke Yard and the Old Cricket Ground. The Blues chose option one, which sites the seniors on the Harlequins site and places the Juniors on the Old Cricket Ground.
The Council has a statutory obligation to replace what the Blues Senior Side currently has because they are being re-located but the money set aside for this work will not cover the full cost of the Football Centre of Excellence. So we’re helping them apply for funding from the Sports Council for Wales and other funding organisations to help realise their dream.