Green space opened before drainage work starts

AN out-of-action open green space has been opened to the public for informal recreation this summer while major drainage work is awaited.

- BY BILL JACOBS Local Democracy Reporting Service

The King George V Playing Fields, in Royds Avenue in Accrington’s Hollins Estate, have been shut since 2021 when they were controversially earmarked as a new training ground for Accrington Stanley FC.

But in 2023, the scheme was dropped after drainage problems were identified and they have been closed ever since.

Now Hyndburn Council has opened the gates to the playing fields for the summer months ahead of a major improvement project, which will lead to their closure again while works take place. The site will undergo a £595,440 drainage and pavilion upgrade starting in September 2025, restoring the fields for grassroots sports by the 2026/27 season.