A dispute has emerged between Cadnam Cricket Club and New Forest commoners over the club’s plans to install an artificial cricket wicket and extend its pavilion within the national park. The proposals, which received conditional planning permission from the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) in 2023, have drawn strong criticism from commoners who oversee animal grazing rights in the area.
The cricket club intends to install a synthetic grass wicket measuring approximately 30 meters long and 2.74 meters wide, primarily for practice sessions and matches involving women’s and junior teams. Additionally, the club has submitted plans to extend its pavilion by less than 25 square meters to improve changing and toilet facilities for women, children, and disabled users. The extension would increase the pavilion’s total footprint to just over 166 square meters. The club aims to complete the artificial wicket installation during the current summer.
Andrew Parry-Norton, chairman of the Commoners Defence Association, described the installation of artificial turf on an ancient forest lawn as “utterly appalling” and expressed concern about what he characterized as Cadnam Cricket Club’s expanding ambitions. He argued the developments would damage the forest environment and accused the club of disregarding its obligations to the park, stating that previous attempts at dialogue with the club had met with minimal success.
The commoners’ complaints also recall a prior conflict when the club was accused of breaching ancient grazing rights by preventing New Forest ponies from accessing the cricket pitch area during the autumn months. Parry-Norton contended at that time that the club violated its Forestry England licence by not leaving the gates open to allow grazing—a customary practice aimed at maintaining the ecological balance of the forest.
In response, Paul Godfrey, chairman of Cadnam Cricket Club, defended the plans and the club’s role within the forest community. He stated that the land allocated for the pitch had never been used for grazing, describing it as previously a waste ground for building materials cleared by the club in the 1950s. Godfrey emphasized the club’s intention to provide sporting opportunities alongside respect for traditional commoning activities, asserting, “While I respect that the ponies have been here for a while, so have we—we are part of the forest too.” He characterized the pavilion extension as modest and necessary to accommodate more inclusive facilities.
The pavilion extension proposal has received endorsements from the local parish council and Natural England, which indicated the development was unlikely to have significant environmental impacts. Despite the controversy, the club plans to move forward with installing the artificial wicket this summer, while tensions between recreational use and traditional commoning rights continue to shape the ongoing debate over land use in the New Forest.