High Wycombe virtual cricket centre plans return after council refusal

Fresh plans have been submitted by The Cricket Box Ltd for an unmanned “Cricket Box” at High Wycombe Cricket Club’s ground in London Road.

The proposed facility would contain two virtual batting lanes equipped with bowling-machine technology, allowing players to practise throughout the year and review video footage and statistics from their sessions.

Players would book slots online and enter the building using a digital access code.

But an earlier version of the scheme was bowled out by Buckinghamshire Council in July.

Planning officers ruled that its height, position and design would make it “unduly prominent and visually intrusive”.

They said it would harm the character and appearance of the streetscene, fail to preserve or enhance Bassetsbury Conservation Area and affect the setting of nearby listed buildings.

However, the council’s report identified an alternative spot beside the scoreboards at the end of the cricket ground’s car park which officers believed could be less harmful.

The revised scheme moves the building to that location in the south-western corner of the ground.

It would sit approximately 111 metres from the curtilage of the Grade II-listed Bassetsbury Mill and Chequers.

The single-storey structure would measure 23.4 metres long and 8.4 metres wide, with a maximum height of 4.4 metres.

Its walls would be covered with black painted timber cladding, intended to resemble the existing scoreboard and make the building less noticeable against the surrounding trees.

The existing scorebox and caretaker’s building would be moved elsewhere within the club grounds to make way for the development.

Planning documents say the facility would be available to club members and the wider community, providing a place to train throughout the year when outdoor winter practice can be difficult.

The closest neighbouring property is sheltered retirement accommodation at 35 Park Road, between 7.5 and nine metres away.

The applicant added that sound insulation would be installed and activity would remain limited, with only two batters expected to use the building at once.

Around six parking spaces would be lost, leaving approximately 36 spaces at the ground.

The applicant anticipates a maximum of two cars associated with the facility at any one time because sessions must be booked in advance.

The applicant argues that the relocated and redesigned building would not harm the conservation area or the setting of listed buildings.

Buckinghamshire Council will decide whether the changes are enough to overcome its previous objections.