Fields have ‘never been better’

Work Complete on Churchill Playing Fields

A community leader at the centre of flooding issues at Saddleworth’s flagship playing fields, told detractors: “The fields are better than they ever were.”

Despite massive investment, controversy has surrounded Churchill playing fields at Greenfield with locals saying sections of the site are still waterlogged.

Councillor Barbara Beeley, chair of Saddleworth and Lees District Executive, told colleagues the fields at Wellington Road have now been handed over to the council for on-going maintenance. But she underlined work still has to be to be done by the contractor and until September, 2014, throughout the defects liability period.

She said: “The fields are cut and the pitches marked out on a regular basis and during the winter months it is necessary to maintain a slightly higher height of cut to protect from winter damage.

“Some areas have still got a little too much compaction and with Saddleworth’s notorious weather it has resulted in small areas of ponding.

“These will be rectified by ‘earthquaking’ — an operation that fragments ground immediately below the surface allowing water to quickly disappear into the new drains and should alleviate any major problems.

“There is further work to be done on the sprint track where there is some surface water.

Pitches
“The pitches are still in the establishment phase and it will be some time before we have the ideal,” she admitted.

During periods of heavy and prolonged rain the water table is high on a flood plain.

“The outlet for the drainage system into the river has a non-return valve. When the river is high, the non-return valve closes and any water is trapped between the surface and the river causing ponding.

“As soon as the water table reduces the non-return valve opens and water escapes more quickly. This is as a result of the geography of the site — not the design of the drainage system,” she concluded.

However, local drainage and hydrology experts argue despite recent heavy rain, there is little evidence drainage has improved.

And Andrew Lane, a dentist who lives near the fields, said: “The only gain in exchange for the loss of the running track, a rugby pitch and quite a few trees is the addition a couple of small football pitches and some signs informing you of the distance around the perimeter ‘footpath’ which remains waterlogged much of the time.

“It’s a disgrace — especially given the cost and lack of facilities for 18 months.”