THE Stanford Junior and Infant School in Laceby has secured planning consent for creation of a MUGA - multi-use games area.
It favours synthetic grass over the natural turf of its existing playing field which becomes problematic in adverse weather.
A report supporting the project states: "A MUGA would provide sporting and physical wellbeing benefit and enjoyment all year round.
"It would help to create the safe physical conditions necessary to promote an effective school.
"The facility would be used to support weekday PE lessons and extra-curricular clubs (including lunchtime use) but could also be used by the school after school and at the weekends as required."
The MUGA would be surrounded by perimeter fencing, but there are no current plans for floodlighting.
The school made no proposal for compensating for loss of habitat for feeding birds and pollinating insects.
The application did not go before North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee but was determined under delegated powers by case officer Cheryl Jarvis.
In her report, she states: "As a mown area of grass, the potential for ecology is
extremely limited and no harm is expected, given the existing context.
She concludes: "The proposal will provide an all-year round facility that can be used by children at the school to
support PE lessons and extra curricular activities."
"It can be achieved without environmental and
other impacts."
It understood that a firm from Uppingham in Rutland will be installing the MUGA.
The Grimsby News says: Games played on plastic grass and behind mesh fencing are vastly inferior to those carried out on real grass and in open space. Henceforth, the school will be providing recreation in a cloistered and unnatural setting. The sense of freedom will be gone, and the children will miss out.
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