FARINGTON CRICKET

Modern Transformation of Lancashire County Cricket Club's facility

Urban Green provided multi-disciplinary services for Lancashire County Cricket Club’s new ‘first of it’s kind’ Cricket Facility in Farington, South Ribble.

This new high-quality facility will be used by the LCCC men’s first team as an alternative venue to Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground, as well as becoming a Women’s Centre of Excellence for the North-West of England, and will help Lancashire Cricket continue to bring through both men’s and women’s cricketers of the future – Lancashire’s Disability Team will also make use of the facilities.

The site features a full size professional pitch and a secondary community pitch positioned dynamically either side of a strikingly contemporary pavilion building designed by BDP Architects.
Large grassed spectator bowls encircle each pitch with terraced seating positioned adjacent to the pavilion. The adjoining external areas have been designed to support the functionality for the larger sporting events, as well as incorporating more day-to-day use features such as new practice nets, circulation routes, and parking.

The wider landscape has been designed with a keen focus on habitat sensitivity and biodiversity interest – to sympatheticly embed the proposals into the surrounding countryside setting. This includees the incorporation of a variety of landscape typologies such as native trees and shrubs, woodland creation, rich wildflower meadows, ponds, swales and hedgerows to the site perimeter.

The landscape design team were a vital part of the project team throughout the planning process, and then worked in close collaboration with the main contractor Eric Wright Group Ltd, and sub-contractor Wrights Landscapes as the works progressed on site – successfully delivering this transformative and landmark scheme.