Majority oppose East Molesey Cricket Club pitch bid
A cricket club is being urged not to go ahead with plans for a new pitch on a green space in Surrey after hundreds of people opposed them.
East Molesey Cricket Club had wanted to open a pitch on Hurst Meadows.
Elmbridge council said a consultation with more than 600 people saw 74% oppose the project.
The local authority said it had decided to advise the club not to proceed with the scheme. No-one at the club was available to comment.
Councillor Jan Fuller, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "We promised to listen to all comments from the residents and this decision shows that we have done so."
She added that following the consultation, the council would also now consider designating Hurst Meadows as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest.
The club had wanted to open a second pitch to relieve pressure on its current pitch and expand the club in the future.
According to the club's website, the new pitch and pavilion were part of a five-year strategy that would enable the club to maximise its potential over the next decade and ensure its continued success for many years to come.
The club, on the bank of the River Thames and about half a mile from Hampton Court Palace, was founded in 1871.