CRICKET WORLD CUP BID FOR 2019 NEEDS FLOODLIGHTS
8 July 2014
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has announced its intention to bring Cricket World Cup matches to Bristol in 2019. To allow this to happen, the County Club will need to obtain planning permission for floodlights on its ground.
Will Brown, Chief Executive, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, said: “The Club has already been massively improved over the last 18 months and we are very grateful to local people for their patience while this work has been carried out. However, in order to secure the Club’s presence here in the heart of Bristol, we need the ability to host the really big matches.
“If we want to bid to host Cricket World Cup and other major matches, we need floodlights. This is a requirement of the England and Wales Cricket Board, brought in recently to ensure the high levels of light required for evening matches and television broadcast. Most large clubs around the country already have these in place, so they have a real advantage over us.
“Bristol is a world-class city in many ways, but it currently lacks International sporting facilities. Bringing floodlights to the ground would not only give us a chance to host some of the 2019 Cricket World Cup matches, but also others such as International T20s, One-Day Internationals, the ICC Champions Trophy and the One-Day Women’s Cricket World Cup, next being held in 2017. This would be great for sport in Bristol, but also great for tourism, traders and the City’s world-wide profile.”
If floodlights are installed, the Club will also be able to host its occasional summer Friday evening matches slightly later at 7.00pm. This should ease traffic congestion around the ground by avoiding traffic build-up at rush hour as well as allowing residents plenty of time to return home after work.
Ahead of submitting its plans for floodlights to Bristol City Council, the Club is keen to talk to local residents and the public about the proposals, and will be holding a public exhibition at the Bristol County Ground to display the plans. There will be computer-generated images showing the position of the floodlights and the team will be on hand to answer any questions.
The Club hopes to submit a planning application to Bristol City Council later this year. The plans will include six floodlight columns around the ground, which would only be used when needed during the cricket season between April and September.
The public consultation will be held at the Bristol County Ground, Nevil Road, Bristol, BS7 9EJ on:
- Friday 18 July 3.00 pm - 8.00 pm
- Monday 21 July 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm
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Saturday 26 July 11.00 am - 2.00 pm
Anyone interested in the plans can contact the community relations team on 0800 073 1047 during office hours.
