Work to stop sports site slipping into river to cost £2m

Marley Activities and Coaching Centre, just outside Keighley, is one of the biggest outdoor sports facilities in the Bradford district.

A large section of the site, which is operated by Bradford Council, runs alongside the River Aire, and in recent years sections of the land have been washed away by the river.

The Council had previously set aside £500,000 from its budget to carry out works to prevent more of the facility from washing away.

But a recent budget from Council finance officers has revealed that this figure has now spiralled to £2m.

And work needs to start “as soon as possible” due to a series of recent land slippages that have led to 200 metres of riverbank next to the site being lost.

The work is likely to include a stone barricade on the side of the river.

The Marley site has pitches for football and rugby and is used by numerous sports teams, for sporting events and competitions. Its pitches are also available for hire.

The site also has an indoor sports hall and meeting rooms.

Marley is also used for one of the biggest annual events in the district – Keighley & District Agricultural Show -  which attracts thousands to the area.

This year’s show is being held tomorrow (September 2). 

The riverbank next to Marley playing fields (Image: newsquest)

There have long been calls for Bradford Council to do more to prevent the fields from gradually being lost to slippages.

The extra cash for the Marley repairs was included in a recent update on new capital projects put forward by Bradford Council.

The report, which went to the last meeting of the Council’s Executive said: “£0.5m was included in Reserve Schemes as part of the 2021-22 Budget Report for works to the playing field (at Marley) next to the river.

“Plans for these works have been brought forward and it has been identified that total costs will be £2m.

“Due to recent land slippages at the site it has been necessary to start the scheme as soon as possible and approval was completed as an emergency decision.

“The additional budget of £1.5m will be funded from the inflation budget added to the 2022-23 budget.”

The Telegraph & Argus asked the Council for more details of the £2m works.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The existing riverbank adjacent to the Marley playing fields has been eroded by the River Aire which has caused a 200 metre section of the embankment to collapse.

“We have set up an exclusion zone at the top of the embankment to ensure the public are kept at a safe distance from the top of the embankment when using the playing fields.

“The works to repair the banking will include creating a rock revetment – a sloping structure to hold back water - in the river and re-grading the banking to a safe batter over the full 200m length of the landslip.

“There is also an ongoing Environment Agency application for working in the river.

“We hope to be in a position to put out the work to tender in October and to have a contractor in place to start work on the site in April/May 2024 with construction to follow over the summer.”

Plans for the future of the Marley site will be discussed at a meeting of the Council’s Executive on Tuesday.

The site has long been proposed as one of three multi-million-pound sports hubs to be set up in the district.

The first such hub was Wyke Sports Village, which was completed last year, and the other will be a hub at Myra Shay.

Investment in these sites was announced in 2019, but there has been little movement on the Marley and Myra Shay projects since then.

The Executive will discuss the Sports Pitches Investment Programme on Tuesday.

Improvements to the Marley site are likely to include a new cafeteria, improved changing facilities, new drainage systems, a changing places toilet, improved fencing and security, new cycling infrastructure and car parking.

The Council is hoping to team with the Football Foundation for the works, and if this partnership proves a success then £7.5m could be allocated for the improvements to Marley.