Cricket Ball Safety Dispute Stalls Housing Project

A disagreement regarding the velocity of cricket balls struck by batsmen could impede a significant housing development. Developers, Aire Valley Ltd, received approval to convert an office building adjacent to Crossflatts Cricket Club in Bingley into 139 flats. This permission was contingent upon a cricket ball risk assessment, prompted by concerns about potential hazards to future residents from flying balls. Aire Valley Ltd has since submitted its assessment and requested the removal of this planning condition to advance the project. However, Sport England has asserted that the assessment was not prepared by a qualified consultant and underestimated the force of certain players’ shots. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Bradford Council granted approval for the planning application to transform the office block on Croft Road into 139 flats in 2021, with conversion work commencing late last year. Nevertheless, when the developers submitted the risk assessment in the summer of this year, Sport England questioned its accuracy. Aire Valley House Ltd’s assessment proposed that a 10ft (3m) tall fence along a section of the club’s boundary would be sufficient to prevent balls from entering the new development. Yet, Sport England stated: “The ball strike assessment doesn’t appear to have been undertaken via a specialist qualified consultant.” The agency also pointed out that the assessment “contains flaws in that cricket shots can be played 360 degrees off the crease with only shots from the furthest crease being measured on this report”. Sport England further indicated that the speed at which professional players hit a ball should have been taken into account, given that Crossflatts Cricket Club competes in an ECB Premier League that permits tier five professionals. The agency warned that “residents, visitors and property at the application site could be at risk of both injury and damage from cricket balls”. Bradford Council planners are scheduled to determine, at an unspecified future date, whether the developer’s risk assessment satisfies the planning condition, thereby allowing its removal and the continuation of the work.