Almost one million pounds in funding for a new 3G football pitch could be coming to Oxhey after Three Rivers District Council’s planning and resources committee voted in favour of the money being allocated.
If it is signed off by a full council meeting, it will help Oxhey Jets replace their existing grass pitch with an all-weather artificial surface and improve their clubhouse facilities.
The money comes from part of the district council’s Community Infrastructure Levy – or CIL – which is provided by property developers to help fund infrastructure in the area.
While the £966,000 award will not fund the entire £1.5m project, council leader Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst (LD, Leavesden) said the club has a “verbal agreement” with the Football Foundation for a further grant. It is hoped a further £50,000 can be fundraised.
The pitch will be used by all of Oxhey Jets’ teams, from children through to the senior team, and will also be available for other nearby teams including female teams and people playing walking football.
Officers at the district council said the pitch and clubhouse – on land owned by Hertfordshire County Council and leased to the club – are “in a state of disrepair, tired and no longer fit for purpose”.
Refurbishment work will include changes to the clubhouse and changing rooms to help them “better cater for female members, disabled, and walking football teams”.
John Elliott, general manager of Oxhey Jets, has been involved with the club since its foundation in 1972 and told the Watford Observer: “It means the world to me because Jets do.
“I firmly believe in Oxhey. I’ve never moved away from Oxhey, I’ve always supported everything to do with the local area.
“Even when we’ve had opportunities to move on to different clubs at different levels, I’ve always stayed loyal to Jets so to deliver a future that you know will survive means the world to me.”
Earlier this year, a similar project – using CIL funds for an all-weather pitch – was approved for Potters Bar Town Football Club by Hertsmere Borough Council.
Councillors unanimously agreed to support the funding at a meeting of Three Rivers District Council’s policy and resources committee on Monday (11 November).
Cllr Stephen Cox (Lab, South Oxhey) said Oxhey Jets are “an integral part of the local community”, words echoed by Cllr Abbas Merali (Con, Moor Park & Eastbury). However, Cllr Merali added the money was a “very significant portion of the council’s CIL fund and asked whether other grants had been considered.
In response, Cllr Giles-Medhurst said his understanding was the club had “looked at all other avenues” and the money was needed to make it a “state-of-the-art facility”.
Councillors also voted to support awards of £200,000 to improve the pavilion at King George V playing fields in Sarratt, £76,716 for around ten CCTV cameras across the district, and £10,500 to improve the young adult and local studies areas at Croxley Green library.
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