College Grounds Initial Announcement
Girton College Sports Pitches Announcement (Pictures)
After many years of planning and fundraising, the College is delighted to announce that the project to re-organise sports pitches can now begin. (The current pitches overlap so only one sport can be played at a time, and not all pitches are full sized.) The project will provide our students with two full sized winter sports pitches (rugby and football) and a summer cricket pitch.
The plan involves removing a large part of the New Orchard (NOT the Old Orchard, which is next to the tennis courts). This means heavy machinery on site, ground clearance and tree felling – so it will look very alarming and, we imagine, rather bleak until the new grass seed is established. This will take about eighteen months. (During this period the pitches may be closed from time to time, but most of the time at least one pitch will be available.) Those living in the Girton Road houses should be aware that the unofficial short cut from the back gardens to the main College building will be closed.
Most of the New Orchard trees are now moribund but grafts have been taken of all the special varieties and the new rootstocks will be planted when established. There is a comprehensive programme of compensatory replanting elsewhere in the grounds, over several seasons, involving mainly native species (Hawthorn, Scots Pine, Poplars, Blackthorn, Maple, Salix, Hornbeam). One of the planning conditions was the installation of a fence along the A14 boundary, in case of (very) wayward rugby balls.
The project is exciting for the College as it allows us to take full advantage of one of our special privileges, having sports pitches adjacent to the main building. We are extremely grateful to all donors and sponsors who have made this possible. In the future, we hope to build a wheelchair accessible sports pavilion near to the new pitches that will allow for a gymnasium and proper changing facilities. This development is entirely dependent upon further fundraising, although that is already under way.
Inevitably the felling and clearing works will cause some inconvenience to those living in the immediate vicinity but we hope that any disturbance will be minimal and of very short duration.
Full details of plans and schedules are available from the Junior Bursar, and the Head Groundsman, Steve Whiting and the Head Gardener, Robert Bramley will be happy to show you the site and discuss the project if you have any concerns.
Garden Committee
Girton College