Turn Moss FAQs

• Why has the Council decided to lease pitches to Salford City FC? Can’t they find anywhere in Salford?
• What surveys have been carried out to assess the impact on the local environment, who conducted them and where can we see the results?
• What will the impact on local clubs who currently use the pitches at Turn Moss (eg St Lawrence Gaelic football and Stretford Victoria)?
• What percentage of the total area of Turn Moss will be used for the three Salford City FC pitches?
• How will the pitches be drained?
• When will we be able to talk to the Council and/or Gary Neville to talk through any concerns? Why haven’t we had the opportunity to do so so far?
• Who will benefit, and how, from the presence of the Salford training academy on Turn Moss?
• How many grass pitches for public use will be available on Turn Moss after the changes?
• The timescales for decision-making feel very tight/quick – what’s the rush?
• When will Salford City FC be using the pitches (what hours of the day) and will they be available for use by others outside these hours?
• What is a 3G pitch, who will be able to use this and what hours will it be available to hire?
• What will the lighting be like around the 3G pitch and will it impact on local housing?
• Exactly what fencing is planned over the whole area and what height will it be?
• New facilities/building – what is included?
• How much will parking spaces be increased by?
• What are the next steps?
• Who has ownership of Turn Moss and the pitches?

Why has the Council decided to lease pitches to Salford City FC? Can’t they find anywhere in Salford?

The Council is ambitious for the Stretford and Old Trafford communities and has a wider aspiration to be a national beacon of sport and physical activity for all. 

The partnership with Salford City FC is seen as a great opportunity to complement this vision and the investment acts as a catalyst and will enable us to improve and upgrade facilities, including improved public pitches, for the benefit of all users of Turn Moss, including the local football clubs and league.

We are renowned in Trafford for our sporting excellence; Manchester United, Lancashire County Cricket Club, the recently announced Manchester Giants move to a new sports, physical activity and wellbeing hub located at George H Carnall in Davyhulme and the Turn Moss opportunity complements our ever-expanding sporting heritage. We feel it’s something to be proud of and we are keen to provide Salford City FC with a new training home in Stretford, where they will continue to carry out all the great work they already do with the community, in particular with young people. The plans also support the Refreshed Stretford Masterplan and the development of UA92.

What surveys have been carried out to assess the impact on the local environment, who conducted them and where can we see the results?

To date, the following surveys have been carried out and completed:

• Crime Impact Survey
• Light Impact survey
• Transport Statement
• Arboriculture Assessment
• Flood Risk Assessment
• Ecology Survey
• Travel Plan

The council has also recently commissioned a bat survey. Once completed, this survey will be attached to the planning application.

To view the surveys, which form part of the planning application, visit www.trafford.gov.uk  and search for ‘Planning Applications’ (application reference 93628/FUL/18)

What will the impact on local clubs who currently use the pitches at Turn Moss (eg St Lawrence Gaelic football and Stretford Victoria)?

Clubs who currently use Turn Moss, will continue to use the venue and the new and improved facilities on offer will provide a better sporting and viewing experience for players and spectators. Changing facilities will be upgraded to offer separate changing areas for women and young people, which there is currently no provision for. There will also be the opportunity for clubs to explore moving their games/training from grass pitches to the new 3G pitch if they wish to do so.

What percentage of the total area of Turn Moss will be used for the three Salford City FC pitches?

The proposed pitches leased to Salford City FC make up around 10 per cent of the total land area of Turn Moss.

How will the pitches be drained?

This is a material consideration of the planning application and will be considered by Council officers and Planning Committee. 

Further details will be available with the application shortly.

When will we be able to talk to the Council and/or Gary Neville to talk through any concerns? Why haven’t we had the opportunity to do so so far?

The Council consulted on Turn Moss as part of the Stretford Masterplan and the outcome of this has already been shared. If members of the public want to comment on the proposed planning application they can do so at www.trafford.gov.uk by searching for ‘Planning Applications’ (application reference 93628/FUL/18)

In addition, the Council is holding a public meeting to ensure the facts in relation to the proposal for Turn Moss are available.

Representatives from the Council, UA92 and Salford City FC will be in attendance.

This session is open to everyone, however, places are limited to a maximum of two tickets per person.

You can find information on the proposals at www.trafford.gov.uk/stretfordmasterplan and under ‘planning Applications’ at www.trafford.gov.uk.

Who will benefit, and how, from the presence of the Salford training academy on Turn Moss?

Having a professional football club training at Turn Moss has the potential to provide a hook for the community to get involved in many physical activity programmes that can be developed using the facilities on the site. The presence of Salford City FC actively getting involved in social programmes - ranging from coaching sessions to advice on healthy living - is a unique opportunity to engage a wider audience on the benefits of physical activity and healthy living for physical and mental wellbeing.

There has long been inequality between the health and wellbeing of those families in the north of the borough versus the south and we need to take decisive action to reduce this gap.

Trafford Leisure CiC and Salford City FC plan to work in partnership to ensure there are many benefits for the community from this proposal.

The community benefits are outlined further in the three community benefit statements that can be found in the planning application and will be developed as further discussions with the community take place. Visit www.trafford.gov.uk and search for ‘Planning Applications’ (application reference 93628/FUL/18)

How many grass pitches for public use will be available on Turn Moss after the changes?

Following completion of the proposal the site will accommodate 17 useable public pitches. 

This doesn’t take into account the use of the new community 3G pitch which can accommodate considerably more usage.

The timescales for decision-making feel very tight/quick – what’s the rush?

The decision-making process for this project is following the normal timescales that apply to planning applications and the proposal was also discussed as part of the Stretford Masterplan Consultation process. The Council is keen to enhance Turn Moss as a community facility and to broaden its appeal, while bringing back into use an area that has for a long time been inactive due to flooding.

When will Salford City FC be using the pitches (what hours of the day) and will they be available for use by others outside these hours?

It is difficult at this stage to give specifics but generally a professional football club will use the pitches between 9:30am – 2pm Monday to Friday. There may be rare occasions when Salford City FC will have to train at weekends due to the fixture schedule. The pitches will be leased by Salford City FC who will allow some community use on them (for example, schools, cup finals) subject to maintaining pitch quality etc. UA92 students will also use them on a Wednesday afternoon.

What is a 3G pitch, who will be able to use this and what hours will it be available to hire?

A 3G pitch is the latest specification of artificial football pitches. A 3G pitch is the most successful and realistic synthetic surface technology and enables participants to enjoy a realistic sporting experience on a good quality surface that can be played on all year round and reducing the potential of cancellations. The hours of hire are still to be confirmed.

What will the lighting be like around the 3G pitch and will it impact on local housing?

The community 3G pitch, which will havefloodlighting, will be a minimum of 180m from
the nearest housing. It has been positioned here to minimize the impact of the lighting. More details on the lighting assessment can be found in the Light Impact Survey, which forms part of the planning application. Visit www.trafford.gov.uk and search for ‘Planning Applications’ (application reference 93628/FUL/18).

Exactly what fencing is planned over the whole area and what height will it be?

The fencing for the 3G pitch will be 4.5m all the way around. This is based on FA guidance to protect a community facility. The grass pitches for Salford City FC will be 1.5m high and only run along the western part of the pitches to protect the pitches from dog fouling .

New facilities/building – what is included?

Café – expecting approximately 60 covers but the details are yet to be finalised. The café will have an outdoor terrace at the front and back leading onto a new children’s play area.

Trim Trail – New trim trail connected to the existing path and also connecting to the central zone. The path will comprise of gym stations around the route and is expected to be utilised heavily for organised physical activity sessions and casual usage.

Community Changing Room – The community changing rooms will be redeveloped to bring up to modern standards. The changing rooms will be less open plan and more enclosed for privacy. There will be four changing rooms increased from three and an extra referees room, the facility will also comprise of more toilet and shower facilities

3G Pitch – A new modern high spec 3G pitch that will be available to the community for hire and some community usage. The 3G will go towards addressing the shortage of 3G pitches in Trafford.

How much will parking spaces be increased by?

There are currently 71 parking spaces at Turn Moss, this is expected to increase to 94.

What are the next steps?

There have already been meetings with local football teams who use Turn Moss and there will be further meetings taking place which will be attended by the Council and Salford City FC. Details of these meetings will be shared as soon as they are available.

The public are currently able to comment on the planning application up until 8^th March. After this date, all the representations that have been received by the Council will be collated and reported to the Planning Committee along with all other relevant planning issues when the Committee consider the application in due course. All representations received will be available to view on the planning pages of the Council’s website.

Who has ownership of Turn Moss and the pitches?

The Council will continue to own all the land at Turn Moss. It is proposed that three pitches and some changing/office facilities at Turn Moss will be leased to Salford City FC. The 3G community pitch will be hired out to the public by Trafford Leisure CiC, not by Salford City FC.