ECB joins consortium in Centre of Excellence bid

The Management Board of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided today to engage with Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in an informal consortium to seek planning permission for the redevelopment of facilities at the Bisham Abbey Sports Centre to enable it to become a Centre of Excellence for both sports.

Welcoming the decision, Des Wilson, Chairman of the Sport England Lottery Panel, who has been leading discussions, said: "For some time, we have been exploring ways whereby both major sports can base excellence programmes at Bisham Abbey.

"We have now received a major report on some relatively complex planning issues and it's clear that, for a variety of reasons, this will take longer than we had hoped. Nevertheless, we are advised that there is a reasonable chance of achieving our objectives.

"We believe this is best done by working in partnership to develop the project and then promoting the case for it in the national interest. It remains our determination to succeed with the Bisham Abbey project because all three organisations recognise it is the best solution."

"In the meantime, Sport England has assured the LTA that their tenancy will continue in any event, and we have agreed with the ECB that they undertake a feasibility study into alternative sites in parallel with our planning application in order to save time in the possible event that planning permission is refused.

"Savings arising from the delay caused by the planning complexities will help pay the cost of both that study and alternative temporary arrangements for the National Academy, and Sport England will underwrite any reasonable costs."

Hugh Morris, the ECB's Performance Director, commented: "We still very much hope that the ECB's National Academy will be set up at Bisham Abbey and believe the combined resources of the three organisations will help overcome the planning difficulties.

"But it's sensible to make contingency plans, and this is why we welcome Sport England's decision to fund fully a feasibility study into possible alternatives.

"In the meantime, we are looking forward enormously to opening the National Academy in Australia this autumn and giving our best young players some top-quality coaching and tremendous all-round experience."