A CROQUET club’s plans to build a new building have sparked a row with a bowls group.
Plans have been lodged for a new club house featuring a lounge, kitchen and two toilets on a grassed area at Craig y Don Community Centre on Queen’s Road in Llandudno.
But a bowling club, which shares use of the council-owned green at the centre, is opposed to the proposals.
John Hannah, the croquet club’s secretary, has applied to Conwy Council’s planning department, seeking permission for the building on a grassed area at the centre.
If the club gets the green light at a planning meeting at Bodlondeb next week, the proposed amenity building will be just under 15m in length, over eight metres wide, and 4.17m high.
Mr Hannah wants permission to build on a 40m parcel of land over nine metres in width, which is located between the tennis courts within the complex and the croquet lawn.
There is also a community centre with a nursery, bowling club, and car park within the complex.
But Craig y Don Bowling Club object to the plans.
“The Croquet Club do not have exclusive use of the green,” said Jacquetta Lyons in a letter to the council from the bowling club.
“It is stated on the community centre website that Craig y Don Bowling Club have two greens, one for use during the summer, with the green adjacent to Queen’s Road for winter months.
“During the summer months the Croquet Club is granted permission from Craig y Don Bowling Club, founded in 1914, to use our winter green.
“We dictate what date they can commence use and what date they must vacate the green.
“Craig y Don Bowling Club currently has 110 members who can use our winter green facility, and in addition we extend our winter bowling facilities to other bowling clubs.
“This (the plans) will alter the use of the land as stated on the Conwy Council website.
“We therefore propose the use of the land should not change.
“The scale and size of the development will have an overpowering impact for winter green bowling in that it will reduce the area available surrounding the winter green bowling, Croquet Club membership being just 63 members and Craig y Don Bowling Club membership being 110 members.”
But Mr Hannah said the Community Club’s Committee had approved the plans.
“The land is council land, and the lease is held by the Craig y Don Community Centre, which has four parts. One is bowls. One is croquet.
One is tennis, and one is the community centre,” he said.
“The bowling club don’t even have a lease on their main competition lawn, which they don’t play on in the winter.
“We’ve responded to planning to say they (the bowling club) are totally mistaken in what they’ve said. Craig y Don Community Centre’s main committee have approved it.
“We’ve had Conwy’s permission as the landlord to build it.”
Donna Parkinson lives on Clarence Gardens and also objected to the plans.
“The water will soak away to the lowest point thus impacting my property which sits at the lowest point of the cul-de-sac next to the planned area,” she wrote.
“My garden already fills with water when we have bad weather, and we have already put extra drainage into our garden.”
The planning application will be discussed at a committee meeting at Bodlondeb on Wednesday, January 10, and officers have recommended that councillors approve the plans.
