Southwick community football facility to be redeveloped

Old Barn Way, the former ground of Southwick Football Club, is to be redeveloped into a modern-day footballing facility and community space by Russell Martin Foundation (RMF).

The application features a new clubhouse and full-size 3G football pitch with replacement floodlights and a spectator stand for up to 56 people, to encourage local families and visitors to watch players of all ages in action.

The council said as well as hosting changing rooms, a bar and kitchen, the single-storey clubhouse would be a flexible space for a variety of education and health-improvement programmes.

The application was approved by Adur's planning committee, pending confirmation of drainage details, at its meeting earlier in December.

RMF is backed by Russell Martin, a former professional footballer for Norwich City, Rangers and Scotland, who is the current manager of Southampton FC. It is a not-for-profit organisation which was created by Mr Martin to give something back to the area where he was born and raised.

As owner of the site, the council released £50,000 of funding from developers so RMF could carry out urgent safety works to the facility, allowing football to be played at the ground again in the short-term.

Plans also include eight-metre-high netting at the southern and eastern boundaries of the pitch to protect the railway line and residents from being disturbed, and a four-and-a-half-metre fence around the perimeter of the pitch.

Improved access from the existing car parking area will also be provided, with a new site entrance and two accessible parking spaces close to the new clubhouse.

Green councillor Gabe Crisp raised a concern about the impact of floodlights, which she said was ‘really significant’ and Labour councillor Carol O’Neal said she had received many complaints from residents about the lights, and raised concerns about having only single-sex changing rooms.

An agent for RMF said floodlights would be kept off when possible due to running costs, and single-sex bathrooms would be looked into.

Members proposed limits on hours of use from 8am to 10pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 9am on Sundays, with players off the pitch 15 minutes beforehand. The final decision on floodlight hours was delegated to council officers.

After the meeting, Emma Evans, Adur district council’s cabinet member for the environment and leisure, said: “I’d like to thank the Russell Martin Foundation for its interest in bringing this facility back to life, for the benefit of the whole community.

“I’m really pleased we were able to support the Russell Martin Foundation in 2021 to help get the ball rolling in transforming this valuable facility.

“The plans for the new clubhouse and third-generation football pitch are really exciting. I hope it won’t be long until locals can benefit from the site’s redevelopment.”