Update 15th July
Access and parking
Maritime FC have negotiated an agreement with Bentley Primary School who have kindly allowed Maritime FC to use the School Playing field for access and parking for matches and training. Access will be via the Capel Road entrance.
Maritime FC will be providing some free footballs and an after school club. The school is really pleased that there will be a club in the community.
At all other times access to the Village Playing Field is via Case Lane. Keys are held in the Bentley Community Stores and by the Footpath Warden, Tim Hamstead and Chairman of the Parish Council, Michael Bamford.
Storage
Maritime FC's storage has now been delivered. The Playing Field Trustees will be painting our container (as planned earlier in the year) soon. If you'd like to volunteer please contact Tim Hamstead.
Use of the Football Pitches by residents
There are now 2 football pitches marked out. One a full size pitch and one smaller practice pitch. The reseeding of the goal mouths of the main pitch means those goal mouths are temporarily out of action but Maritime FC will be providing a practice goal for residents to use on the practice pitch.
Once the main pitch is back in use (in August), Maritime FC will be leaving their new nets in place after matches and training for use by the village for casual football use. The practice goal will remain in place for children to use. We would expect any large group who wish to use these facilities, to contact the Parish Council Clerk in the first instance.
Lighting for Thursday evening training sessions
Maritime FC will need to light the pitch during winter evenings. This will only be from approximately 17.45 to 19.15.
The chairman, Jon Haines has reassured us that there would be negligible light pollution while they are in use. The LED battery powered lights are 'state of the art' and purchased at considerable expense to the club. The light is directed downwards at all times, there is no haze emitted and will be only used in a small area at the top end of the field (just under half the size of the main pitch).
Jon has offered to demonstrate these lights to any residents when the nights draw in (towards the end of September) to show that they offer zero disturbance.
We hope that this has answered any remaining questions from residents but if you do have any more concerns or questions please contact Joy Scott, the Parish Council Clerk, via email.
We'd like to thank Maritime FC for all their hard work in preparing the pitches and addressing residents' concerns. We look forward to welcoming Maritime FC into our community and hope that this agreement will benefit all users of the Village Playing Field.
Trustees of Bentley Playing Field.
Update 7th July 2020
To clarify, below is a notice from Bentley Parish Council as well as a copy of the agreement between the Trustees of Bentley Playing Field Society and Maritime FC.
BENTLEY PARISH COUNCIL
BENTLEY PLAYING FIELD NOTICE
The Trustees of Bentley Playing Field Society, having considered the matter in open meeting, have agreed to Maritime Football Club Under 11’s team using the pitch for practice on Thursday evenings and Matches on Saturday mornings. Match times and other details will be publicised by Maritime FC as normal for any club. The Season runs from early September until the end of May (with a pre -season in August).
Maritime FC have agreed to invest and undertake improvements to the pitch –maintenance including re-seeding the goal mouths with protective fencing, improving drainage and reinforcing an area for parking. They will site a storage unit next to the Parish Council Container and they will hire a Portaloo for their use on training and match days during the Season.
Training times are inevitably flexible on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings which leaves the Parish field available for local use around 6.5 days a week.
The contract with Maritime FC allows for reviews and any material changes come back to the Playing Field Society Trustees for agreement. This may possibly include further teams which will be considered on a case by case basis.
Maritime FC will maintain the facilities in good order and will not leave any rubbish on site. A dog bin is available on the main road near the Pub garden as it has to be on a main road for regular Council collections.
The Trustees have been discussing the possible Development of the Playing Field for a number of years with a view to improving the facility for residents and their families and this investment and Contract is seen as a step in the right direction.
Maritime FC are keen to build a Club to be proud of (see their letter below) and it is hoped that Children from Bentley might be interested in joining – The football pitch will be out of action whilst the re-seeded goal mouths recover but the rest of the field can still be used for a kick around.
The existing nets have been damaged and Maritime FC will provide their own. Arrangements are still being finalised.
Portable Posts will be available in due course to enable maximum use of the field. We are not aware of any plans for floodlighting.
As this is a new development the Trustees will issue periodic updates and the Clerk will answer any questions or concerns residents may have.
With anything new there will need to be clarification from time to time as it is a new and evolving situation.
Our village wide Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire consultation highlighted the need to improve facilities on the Field and the Trustees hope that this arrangement will start the improvements that were in fact requested by local residents several years ago including the use of Case Lane for access and a parking area on the field for Capel Plough Club.
Please contact the Clerk with any comments/feedback – details below.
Joy Scott – Clerk
Whites Cottage, Heath Road, East Bergholt CO7 6RJ
E-mail: joyvscott@outlook.com – Telephone: 01206 298174
The Bentley Parish Field is run by Trustees of Bentley Playing Field Society, a Charity Reg No 285071 and is not a Public space.
3rd July 2020
Village Playing Field
At the Parish Council meeting on 4th June, the Parish Council (as Trustees of the Village Playing Field) have agreed with Maritime FC to allow their under 11 team use of the football pitch for home games and training. This is a 2 year agreement in the first instance and allows the team to use the pitch for home games every other Saturday morning and for training on a Thursday evening. Except for their 2-3 hours use per week, the pitch will be free for village use.
In the village’s evolving Neighbourhood Plan, which has been informed by the village residents’ questionnaire responses, villagers have asked for desirable improvements in village facilities. Top of these was improvement in facilities on the playing field. As Trustees the Parish Council has felt obliged to pursue this. The offer to use the field came up, and was discussed at the June PC meeting.
Maritime FC have agreed to make considerable investments to improve the pitch, including re-seeding goal mouths, improving pitch drainage and adding reinforcements to the surrounding areas to allow parking on the field. They will also be siting a container for their equipment and a portable toilet next to our own container.
There may be times over the next month or so when due to improvements being made, there may be some disruption to use of the playing field and we appreciate that there are some concerns about that. We will try to communicate when these are happening in future. The Parish Council want to reassure villagers that as Trustees, our ultimate aim is to improve the pitch for the villagers’ use, give an opportunity to village children to either join a more formal football club or to be able to use the field for informal use all year round (with improved drainage) as well as giving a well-run affiliated junior football team a home ground.
Below is a letter from the Chairman of the club, Jon Haines to the village. He is happy to answer any queries or concerns you may have. If you have any other comments that you wish to pass on to the Parish Council please do so via email to the Parish Clerk, Joy Scott to joyvscott@outlook.com