A TAMESIDE cricket club hopes to enter a new era by building a new pavilion.
And those behind the scheme at Denton West believe it would be ‘a major enhancement of a key community sports asset.’
The Dane Bank club, which plays in the Greater Manchester Cricket League, has applied to Tameside Council to construct the new facility, which would have new changing rooms, players terrace, social and operational spaces and an ancillary apartment for the visiting club professional.
There would also be a replacement scoring hut and better parking, cycle facilities and landscaping.
Documents supporting the proposal detailed how a new pavilion is needed, stating how it would comply with England and Wales Cricket Biard (ECB) regulations.
They say: “It replaces an outdated structure with a modern, sustainable, inclusive and ECB-aligned pavilion designed to serve current and future generations of players and local residents.
“The existing pavilion is over 40 years old, in poor repair, and incapable of meeting modern safeguarding standards, accessibility expectations or the spatial and functional requirements of contemporary amateur cricket.
“Its redevelopment is essential to sustaining the club’s role within the community, maintaining participation levels and meeting league requirements.
“The proposed pavilion will provide a long-term, future-proofed facility that aligns with national policy, local development objectives and the strategic aims of Sport England.”
The two-storey structure at the Windsor Road club would have changing rooms on the first floor and a dedicated players’ viewing terrace, which they say would ‘remain screened, distanced from neighbouring residential plots and modest in expected noise activity due to intermittency of use on match days.;
Its ground floor would house public and operational areas, including a club lounge, players’ lounge, bar servery, kitchen, cellar, officials’ space, accessible WC, plant and storage.
It would also include the apartment, which will be used exclusively by the visiting club professional during cricket season. It would not be a standalone residential unit and could not be separately occupied or sold.
The scoring hut will be positioned near the boundary while the car park would be made formal with 32 marked spaces including one accessible bay, one active EV charging bay and installed ducting for four future EV bays.
There would also be covered cycle parking for eight bicycles and new pedestrian routes, upgraded surfacing around the pavilion.
Documents add about the car park, which would still be accessed from Denton Wests CC’s current entrance: “The design is modern, durable and informed by extensive consultation, technical guidance and pre-application advice.
“Access to the site is taken from an existing unadopted lane off Windsor Road, which currently serves all vehicles and pedestrians arriving at the cricket club.
“The lane provides a direct route to the gravel car park. Although functional, the surface is uneven in places and lacks formal definition for pedestrian movement.
“Circulation around the pavilion is informal, with no dedicated footpaths or segregated routes.
“The car park’s redesign provides a clear, safe and efficient layout with formalised bays, including accessible and EV spaces. The use of tarmac improves accessibility, wayfinding and visual clarity over the informal gravel surface.
“The redevelopment presents an opportunity to improve the legibility, safety and overall quality of access, with potential to introduce clearer pedestrian routes, better surfacing and more efficient servicing arrangements.”
Denton West has already held a public consultation event before submitting the plans and they say feedback ‘demonstrated strong overall support.’
They said: “Of those responding, the majority agreed that the clubhouse is much needed and would provide a clear benefit to the area.
“Overall, the consultation feedback was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting strong community support for the project as a valuable local facility.
Tameside Council’s Speaker’s Panel (Planning) committee, or officers, will decide whether to grant or refuse permission.