News

New £3m home for St Helens’ Penlake Juniors FC gets green light

Acting on behalf of Harworth Group plc, Turley has helped secure unanimous approval from St Helens Council Planning Committee for a new £3 million outdoor sports facility at Moss Nook, St Helens.

We provided expert Planning services for the scheme. The plans will see new sports pitches created for Penlake Juniors FC as well as a multi-use changing room and car park. Established in 1971, Penlake Juniors FC has become a production line for professional clubs with players going on to join teams including Bradford City, Norwich City and Bolton. The club will relocate from their current home at Beechams Playing Fields, with the land to be used for residential development as part of a future phase of Moss Nook. The application also includes new and improved footpaths linking the sports facility to the local area and providing connections to future phases of Moss Nook.

The planning application followed consultation with the local community, which led to a number of changes to the proposals. As a result of feedback the football pitches were moved further away from residential properties on Cromdale Grove, the height of fencing was increased and improvements were made to footpaths connecting to the site.  

Work is expected to start on the new playing fields in spring 2024.

Andrew Pexton, Regional Director for North West, Harworth said: 

“Moss Nook is one of the largest regeneration projects in the region and is set to deliver up to 900 new homes including affordable and homes to rent alongside larger family homes. With the first phase already under construction, today’s decision is an important step forward in delivering a new residential community in St Helens. The plans for a new high-quality sports facility at Moss Nook will see over £3 million invested and deliver lasting benefits for the local community, enabling Penlake Juniors FC to support even more young players.”

Gary Goodwin, Football Club Secretary, Penlake Juniors FC said:

“The club is delighted that councillors have approved our plans to relocate to Moss Nook. I know that Penlake Juniors FC members will really appreciate this major investment and the state-of-the-art facilities the project will deliver. We’re very proud to have worked with thousands of young people over the last 50 years. The new facilities will futureproof the club, allowing us to grow and provide opportunities for more young players for many years to come.”

The 95-acre Moss Nook site, just over a mile to the south of St Helens town centre, has an outline planning consent for 900 new homes. In 2020, Harworth secured £2 million funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to help accelerate development of the complex brownfield site. 

The site at Cromdale Grove is the second phase of development at Moss Nook. Turley has been involved with the Moss Nook site for a number of years, advising Harworth on remediation and site preparation works, as well as the construction of a new spine road between Watery Lane and Sutton Road – Provenance Avenue – which opened in December 2022. We also secured reserved matters approval for the first phase of residential development (258 dwellings) on behalf of Taylor Wimpey in July 2021, which is now under construction. Turley is currently providing Planning and Sustainability & ESG services to support Harworth, and their partners Watkin Jones Group and Torus62 Limited, on the third phase of development, which comprises a mix of 300 suburban Build-to-Rent and affordable homes.

17 November 2023