Anglesey Community Council Granted Permission for Development of Half-Size Basketball Pitch at Parc Mwd

An Anglesey community council has been granted permission to develop a half-size basketball pitch as part of its aims to help promote health and well- being.
The island’s planners have agreed to a scheme to develop the leisure facility at Parc Mwd after an application was submitted by Valley Community Council.
The plans, permitted by the Isle of Anglesey County Council on April 30, describe Parc Mwd as a 20-acre recreational ground off Station Road
The applicants stated in the plans, that the location “…offers a sports pavilion, three football pitches, boules pitch, play area a landscaped seating area and has wide open fields dedicated for wildlife with wooded areas and pathways.
The area is owned and maintained by the Community Council for Valley residents and visitors to the area.
It explained in the application that its aim was to give locals and visitors a place to get together and to provide a safe, outdoor space to  help boost physical and mental healt and fitness.
The project describes a half-size basketball pitch, on the grass area near to the Shorney pavilion,  measuring 228 sq m.
In a green infrastructure statement it stated “We have avoided any wild areas of the park and this development should not cause any significant loss of habitats or populations of species or affect the drainage on
the 20-acre site.”
The court will have a mesh recess goal including basketball  hoop, and net for side panels the width of the court at 3m high, with installation into the grass (11.2m high and 3m wide.)
There will be no lighting and no fencing, other than at the goal end.
A 228sq m surface will be made using black wet pour rubber surface. The top surface,  15mm , will comprise of a mixture of high strength EPDM rubber granules, bound together with polyurethane.
The bottom course will have a depth of 40 mm with a critical free fall height of 1300mm plus base including timber, edging and groundwork, as well as white lines, the plans explain.
“Two willows and hawthorn will be pruned back and an additional hazel tree will be planted to protect the current eco-system and help create a natural sound break” it also stated in a biodiversity statement.
It also states a “hedgehog nesting box will be installed in the vegetation under the Willow tree to support wildlife and enhance biodiversity.”
“The Community Council is fully committed to, and recognises that Net Benefit for Biodiversity (NBB) has an integral role in sustainable development and is fundamental to the social and economic well-being of Valley residents,”
“Safe green spaces and play facilities are an important resource for people young and old.
“We aim to provide a facility that will provide somewhere to meet, whilst helping to improve their health, fitness and mental wellbeing through physical activity and access to outside space.
It added “The council believes that the development of the half-sized basketball court at Parc Mwd in Valley as part of the wider recreational area of the park, is aligned with the 12 standards of the Building for Nature Framework.”

By Dale Spridgeon – Local Democracy Reporter