Three Forres Moray Councillors want a synthetic sports surface for the town - one does not
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THREE Forres ward Moray councillors are looking forward to construction of a synthetic playing surface in the town - another local colleague is not.
Outgoing Independent councillors George Alexander and Lorna Creswell, and Aaron McLean of the SNP, helped set the local authority’s budget for 2022/23 including a ring-fenced £700,000 to give Forres the type of facility available in every other town in the region.
However, Cllr Claire Feaver (Forres, Conservative) is disappointed to see steps being taken towards a so-called “plastic pitch” in the final months of her term before May’s local elections.
She said: “£700,000 is an awful lot of money to come from the budget - I would have preferred it invested in improving education attainment levels. An all-weather football pitch is a large fenced compound with spotlights so it could be a real eyesore. These pitches are notorious for leaching micro-plastics into watercourses and the wider environment. When it reaches the end of its life, it will all end up in landfill, as the materials are non-recyclable. It just seems a shame to me that old-fashioned grass pitches, of which we have an abundance in Forres, no longer seem to be enough.”
Cllr McLean does not agree and is delighted funds are now committed.
He said: “Every other large town in Moray has one, as indeed every other secondary school. It is long overdue and I will be delighted to see spades in the ground.”
Cllr Creswell is also pleased.
She said: “Other places have had synthetic pitches some time now. It would be ideal to accompany a new Forres Academy and other youth provision being consulted on.”
Cllr Alexander warned “there is some way to go yet”.
He said: “I’m hopeful that the people of Forres, particularly our young people, will at last get the same opportunities for sport that people in other parts of Moray have had for years. I will be even happier when I see a site identified.”
A spokesman for Forres Community Football Trust - the team pushing for the pitch for the last few years - said public consultation is the next stage of the project.
He added: “Our volunteer trustees are committed to working towards the realisation of this type of facility and welcome the reconfirmation that capital funding has been ring-fenced. We will continue to pursue other funding streams in order to deliver a facility we can consider as an additional asset to the town.”
He added: “We would like to thank all of the outgoing councillors for the frank and open dialogue. We look forward to continuing this with those lucky enough to be returned in forthcoming local elections.”
