New international cricket centre in Worcester approved

A new international cricket centre will be built in the city after plans were given the green light.

The multi-million-pound inclusive international cricket centre will be built at the University of Worcester’s Severn Campus off the city’s Hylton Road as part of a major expansion of the site.

Worcester City Council’s planning committee approved the plans at a meeting in the Guildhall on Thursday (January 27).

The proposed building, which will provide a national home for all forms of disability cricket, will include indoor net practice facilities, changing rooms and teaching areas.

Cllr Jo Hodges said the facility would be a “exciting, high-quality landmark” for Worcester.

“I think the university has brought so many benefits to the city and this will be yet another,” she said at the meeting.

Cllr Jenny Barnes said the new cricket centre would be “so much better than what was there before.”

The city’s university has been working for several years with England Disability Cricket, the Worcestershire Cricket Board and County Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to create the world’s first inclusive cricket education centre.

The work, which will be carried out as part of plans to create a ‘health, wellbeing and inclusive sport centre’ to accompany the University Arena will create new walking and cycling routes and green spaces throughout the campus as well as cycle storage for almost 300 bikes and 300 car parking spaces including 100 electric car charging points.

Worcestershire County Cricket Board estimates that an additional 8,000 people will benefit from the centre every year including young children, disabled athletes, women’s squads and students.

Some concerns were raised by residents about cars parking in Henwick Road, Rectory Gardens and Hardwicke Close if the university hosted basketball and cricket events at the same time.

Objectors to the plan were also worried about the increase in traffic and parking around the Henwick Road railway crossing, St Clement’s Primary School and the former YMCA building – which is being turned into student accommodation, with one objector calling it an “accident waiting to happen.”

The plan was backed by nine votes to nil with two abstentions.