Unique chance for village to take ownership of £500,000 Brixworth cricket and tennis club facility

A planning application has been submitted for Brixworth Local Services Centre, on the southern edge of the village just off Northampton Road.

It includes a small convenience store with pharmacy, spa and wellbeing centre, offices, a meeting hub, restaurant/takeaway, gym and a drive-thru coffee shop, along with 16 affordable homes.

The Brixworth Cricket and Tennis Club lies to the south of the proposed 2.6-hectare, six-acre development site.

The Brixworth Cricket and Tennis Club is currently owned by a former Brixworth village GP, Dr Dallas Burston. He personally funded the building of the cricket club and tennis centre in the early 1990s. Since then, Dr Burston has only charged £1 a year in rent and has sponsored equipment and functions.

The opportunity for the village to own Brixworth cricket and tennis clubs would form part of a Section 106 agreement – known as a ‘planning gain’ – should the green light be given to the plans for Brixworth Local Services Centre, which have been submitted by Dr Burston’s company.

Section 106 agreements are agreements between a planning authority and a developer that ensure certain extra works related to a development are undertaken for the benefit of the local community.

Land agent Joseph Soul explained: “We’re proposing that the freehold of the clubs is transferred to a Brixworth Community Interest Company or similar, to take on full management and ownership.

“A covenant will be included to prevent future residential or commercial use of the land or buildings.

“This is a unique and unrivalled opportunity for Brixworth to have full ownership of facilities that would cost around £500,000 to reproduce, and for residents to oversee its preservation and development.”

Brixworth Cricket Club has grown in size since its creation and is now home to four senior teams and six junior squads which range in age from five to 16.

Andrew Roper, Chair of Brixworth Cricket Club, said: “We’ve been lucky enough to use this facility for 16 years and through the generosity of Dr Burston and thousands of volunteer hours, we’ve managed to turn the ground into the envy of most teams in the surrounding counties.

“Becoming owners/co-owners would open up a number of funding opportunities that would allow us to continually improve the ground and continue to provide the best facilities for our current members and the next generation of Brixworth cricketers.”

Brixworth Tennis Club, which was established in 2013 and boasts three courts, has also welcomed a growing number of members, from the youngest who is age three to players in their 70s.

Simon Yarwood, Chair of the tennis club, added: “Since our inception 11 years ago our surroundings have been the envy of most tennis players in the region, and we are extremely grateful to Dr Burston for creating them. Ownership or co-ownership will enable us to obtain funding and grants to continue to improve the facilities for future generations.”

The proposed Brixworth Local Services Centre will provide ample, modern facilities to meet the evolving needs of current and future residents of Brixworth, says Mr Soul.

A major supermarket chain has already expressed an interest, says the letting agent for the site, Charles Church from Northampton property agents, Underwoods. There are hopes it could save villagers from having to travel further afield to Kingsthorpe, Sixfields or Market Harborough.

There are plans for more than 170 car parking spaces, including 59 electric charging points and for people using the disabled parking spots, separate electric charging points. This will help to alleviate the village’s current and future parking pressures, the developers say.

Mr Soul said the new facilities could help Brixworth flourish and build on its reputation as a desirable place to live.

He said: “The growth of the village has been overwhelmingly residential, yet this growth in population has not gone hand-in-hand with the development of additional facilities to meet the changing needs of the village. We believe the addition of the local services centre is a crucial one.

“It’s about providing the right facilities, too – for example, the proposed work and office spaces would satisfy modern, hybrid working practices.”