Northfield to install gates to deter misuse
Flytipping and traffic is forcing North football club to install gates at its site.
There have been issues with people accessing its home ground Northfield – on the southern side of Grand Fort Road – as a short cut, as well as other purposes. One gate will be erected at the end of the grandstand, denying access to both the track up to the top pitch and to the driveway around the main pitch.
A second gate will be put at the end of the Garry Cortez memorial pitch, but retaining access across in front of the storage shed.
Club president Wayne Martel said that the problem had been getting worse over the last two or three years.
‘It seems like it has become a habit for people to use the track around the pitch to cut across the site and we finally decided that while it may be inconvenient to manage at times, locked gates would be in the best interest of everyone,’ he said.
‘We have an amazing relationship with our neighbours around the site who we informed before putting the news out.’
The site has recently been subject to a large amount of fly tipping, which costs to remove, as well as being used for public parking and a site for dog walking.
The plan behind the locations of the gates is to still facilitate parking, deliveries and access to properties that currently works for members of the club and neighbours.
The gates will be padlocked with key-code access and the club will decide who and in what circumstances the code will be provided.
Access will be restricted by the gates from the end of the February half term.
