The playing fields on the western side of Discovery Way had long suffered from poor drainage and were frequently unplayable in wet weather.
There was also a marked fall across the field which exceeded the sports’ governing bodies guidelines for pitch slopes.
The improvements, started in 2018, included a level adjustment whereby the topsoil was stripped, the ground re-graded by a cut and fill process, and topsoil replaced. This was followed by the installation of perforated plastic field drains in gravel beds spaced at 4-5 metre centres. The drains were connected to a collector pipe leading to a soakaway above Eddystone Walk. Fine to medium sand was incorporated into the upper topsoil layers to provide a firmer, drier playing surface.
Once the levelling and drainage work had been completed, the area was seeded with a hard-wearing grass mix and tended for a year so that the new grass cover could establish. This period was extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the new pitches – a senior rugby pitch, two junior football pitches and an artificial cricket table between the football pitches – saw their first matches in 2021.