Ivybridge sports and recreation facilities to receive £430k boost from housebuilder

Sports and recreation facilities in and around Ivybridge are set to receive a major boost from the UK's largest housebuilder.

Barratt Homes has now fully completed construction at Lucerne Fields, Ivybridge. All the homes have now been sold and the public open space and children's play area now finished and open.

Celebrating the completion of this new community, the five-star housebuilder has agreed to direct much of its £430,000 community contributions[1] towards improving local sports and leisure facilities in and around Filham Park, which are now recognised as more important than ever following a year of Covid-19 restrictions.

Contributions have already been used to provide Manstow Football Club with new grounds maintenance equipment and for Ivybridge Town Council to plan improvements to the main access drive at Filham Park and prepare a masterplan for the park.

Contributions will now be directed towards implementing the access improvements to Filham Park, helping to deliver the aspirations of the masterplan, and enabling Ivybridge Bowls Club to buy new grounds maintenance equipment to improve the green quality and help ensure its sustainability.

A contribution towards Ivybridge Town Football Club's proposed clubhouse improvement project at Erme Valley Playing Fields is also likely and, subject to planning permission, a successful funding application to the Football Foundation as well as S106 contributions from other housing developments in Ivybridge, will be developed in 2022.

The potential to level the playing field at Stowford Primary School is also being explored, in order to increase overall pitch capacity for the town.

David Matthews, land director for Barratt Homes Exeter said: 

"With building work at Lucerne Fields now complete and people moving into their brand new homes, we're delighted to be helping to improve local sports facilities. We believe passionately in supporting the communities we are building in and these contributions will help make much-needed improvements to Ivybridge Football Club and facilities at Filham Park, as well as improving school playing pitches and the local bowling green. After a year of missing out on so much in terms of local sports and events this seems like an ideal time to celebrate and support sports clubs and facilities to secure their long-term future."

Cllr Jonathan Hawkins, Executive Lead for Health and Wellbeing at South Hams District Council added: "This is really great news for the residents of Ivybridge. Now more than ever we're seeing a huge demand for sports and recreation facilities and these improvements will make a real difference for the community."

Alban Oliver, a coach at Manstow Football Club, said: "The club currently has a number of teams which range in age from tots through to U18s. Most evenings and weekends during the summer months, our ground is busy with children from Ivybridge, coming together to play football. Without this support, our pitches would very soon become worn, resulting in a poor playing surface. This funding will ensure that through careful routines and use, our site is suitable to ‘play' for the hundreds of children we welcome each year."

John Chaplin, chairman of the greens committee for Ivybridge Bowls Club, said: "The development of Ivybridge has increased the demand for sports facilities and the Bowls Club provides for this in a unique way. This will place increasing demands on the facility leading to the need for more regular maintenance of the green which in turn demands more efficient equipment.

"The game is played on a flat and true green grass surface so that bowls follow the path sent by the bowler. The science and technology involved in maintaining the green is exactly the same as that used at widely known golf greens. To achieve this exceptional surface, the machines required are generally of high precision and therefore expensive. Some of the current equipment is very old, difficult to use and expensive to maintain. The new machines purchased with the grant from South Hams District Council will enable the green to be maintained to a very high standard. This will benefit the Ivybridge community through providing a good well maintained green open to all to enjoy the game."