Lilleshall parking issues revealed by report
A lack of formal parking at a new £3.6million national archery centre in Shropshire is causing a ‘danger’ to its users, according to a planning agent.
A planning application lodged with Shropshire Council proposes improvements to the unlit access road to the Performance Archery Centre (PAC) at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, including the creation of 49 new formal parking spaces.
The PAC was officially opened by Sport England in April 2024 supported by UK Sport. It was first used by Olympic and Paralympic archers as their daily elite training environment in the run up to the Paris Olympic Games.
The planning application forms part of Sport England’s three year investment plan at Lilleshall. Its intention is to improve access to the external sports facilities, football pitches, hockey pitches and the Performance Archery Centre.
Planning agents at Williams-Architects Ltd have told the council that the access road is currently used by elite athletes and members of the local community accessing the hockey pitch, multisport pitch and PAC.
“There are several issues in the proposed development area that have been identified by the site operators and users of the facilities as requiring attention,” the agent writes.
The agent says the access road is only part surfaced with part of it being an “unmade road with an uneven and potholed surface.
“Pedestrian access from the main car parks at Lilleshall National Sports Centre down to the pitches and PAC is compromised by the lack of a suitable footpath and limited lighting of the route for use during hours of darkness.”
Areas used for parking along the road are “not designated or demarcated in any way, which results in unsuitable and dangerous parking by users of the area.”
Applicant Serco Leisure Operating Ltd is proposing the extension of the existing limited pedestrian footpath, the installation of new dark sky certified lighting bollards, the formalisation of 49 new parking spaces, repairs to the existing asphalt surfaced road and the introduction of new speed bumps to control traffic speed along the straight stretches of roadway.
The agent adds that “many users of the hockey and multisport pitches park indiscriminately at the side of the existing access road, causing obstructions and creating a danger to other road users.
“This proposal would see the formalisation of the informal parking areas – including an area used previously for contractors’ cabins – alongside the introduction of a dedicated parallel parking zone adjacent to the access road, with boulders and bollard lighting preventing parking encroaching on the adjacent grassed areas.”
When the work is finished there will be 79 car parking spaces for users of the PAC and pitches.
“This will enable the site operators to manage parking requirements and vehicle movements in a safe and effective manner,” writes the agent.
The creation of a new pedestrian walkway and lighting bollards will make “the route to the pitches and PAC safer and more appealing to pedestrians.
“This will enable the site operators to confidently direct site users to the main car park knowing that there is a safe pedestrian route to the southern area
of the site.”
A new temporary route is being planned while the existing access route is not serviceable.
“The existing lane running north from Lilyhurst Road will be made passable and a temporary roadway constructed of road plates will be installed across the field adjacent to the PAC access road.
“The temporary access routes will be passable by site user and emergency service vehicles.”
A public consultation has been launched on the Shropshire Council planning portal with the reference 25/04082/FUL
