Harrow Council's Planning Committee has approved the installation of three new artificial grass football pitches at Priestmead Primary School. The decision, made on Thursday, 28 May 2026, allows for the creation of two five-a-side pitches and one seven-a-side pitch, complete with perimeter fencing and floodlights.
The pitches will be available for school use during the day and will be open for public rental during evenings and weekends. The approved hours of use have been reduced from the applicant's initial request to mitigate potential impacts on nearby residents. The initial proposal had sought hours from 8 am to 10 pm Monday to Friday and Saturday, and 8 am to 8 pm on Sundays. However, following concerns raised by residents regarding potential neighbour impacts, traffic congestion, light spill, and the inappropriate nature of the development on a residential area,
the hours have been revised. The pitches will now be available from 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday and Saturday, and from 9 am to 6 pm on Sundays.
Floodlights will be operational until 30 minutes after the pitches' last use, with a specific restriction that they must be turned off by 8:30 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 6:30 pm on Sundays. Acoustic fencing will be installed to minimise noise disruption.
A key condition of the approval is a Section 106 agreement to secure Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) contributions. While the school indicated difficulty in achieving the full 10% BNG on-site without impacting play areas, the agreement will encourage on-site enhancements before off-site provision. The BNG hierarchy prioritises on-site measures first. If the full 10% cannot be achieved on-site, financial contributions will be sought for off-site provision. The exact financial contribution mechanism for any shortfall is not detailed but will be secured through the Section 106 agreement. Specific types of biodiversity enhancements being considered for on-site improvements are not detailed in the provided information, beyond the general encouragement of on-site measures.
Councillor Marilyn Ashton, Chair of the committee, supported the development, highlighting the benefits for young people and the importance of acoustic fencing. The decision was unanimous. Further details of the meeting and the planning committee's reports can be found in the Public reports pack Thursday 28-May-2026 18.30 Planning Committee.