Cherries apply for alterations to approved training complex plans

The alterations to the £32million project would see a reduction in the number of pitches at the site, changes made to the car parks and the addition of padel courts.

Initial plans for the site at the former Canford Magna Golf Club in Knighton Lane were approved by the council in 2018, before being fully granted in October 2019.

Work began at the site before the scheme faced delays due to the Covid pandemic, before work restarted in June 2022, following Cherries' return to the Premier League.

Now, planners Savills have applied for a variation to the conditions of the permissions granted.

In a planning statement submitted to the council, developers said the club has found improvements that can be made to the plans.

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The statement says: “Since starting to construct the training ground, AFCB has identified a series of design refinements that would improve the build process and enhance the use, layout and design of the facility as part of the vision to create state-of-the-art Premier League training facilities.”

In the revised proposals, the number of pitches would be reduced from 17 to 15.

The two pitches removed were not full sized, with one being taken out due to the reorientation of another pitch, to the south east of the main pavilion.

The other has been removed to provide car parking space, as the plans feature a reduction in parking spaces in the main car park and three other car parks.

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The additional car park, along with the addition of further spaces elsewhere on the campus, means the total number of spaces will remain the same.

Also in the revised plans is the addition of two new padel tennis courts.

The sport, which is a cross between tennis, squash and racketball, is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

The planning statement said the addition of the courts would ‘support agility and coordination training for AFCB players’.

The plans for the groundsmen’s building and compound would also see changes under the revised plans, which would be slightly larger in size.

This would ‘improve usable floorspace and the quality of the spaces contained within it’.

Further changes would see alterations to roads and paths on site, fencing, the plant area, outdoor lighting and an update to the development phasing plan.

A consultation on the revised plans is set to end on January 30, with no decision date set at this stage.