Planners give green light to international inclusive cricket centre in Worcester

Plans to create an international inclusive cricket education centre in Worcester have been given the go ahead by City planners.

The University of Worcester will now begin developing the centre, as well as infrastructure to support the wider Severn Campus alongside the River Severn.

The Severn Campus for health and wellbeing will also include a new teaching facility for health students, which is already under construction on the site of the former Berrows House building. The building will become home to the university’s new Three Counties Medical School.

The Severn Campus development has gained support from Worcestershire Local Enterprise, local businesses and Worcester’s MP Robin Walker, and has already attracted £2m in Government funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) and £3m from Worcestershire Local Economic partnership’s green recovery package.

Professor David Green CBE DL, the University Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive said: “The University of Worcester is proud to have created the UK’s first indoor sports venue specifically designed to include wheelchair athletes, in the University of Worcester Arena, which has been such a huge success. We are delighted to now build on our commitment to providing outstanding inclusive sport and education facilities, through the creation of the International Inclusive Cricket Education Centre. This wonderful facility will, I am sure, inspire generations to come as well as change perceptions on inclusion for the good while unleashing the potential cricket has to offer the whole community. We would particularly like to thank the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Worcestershire County Cricket Club and Board for their unstinting support.”