Bracknell Forest Council has refused to list the Larges Lane cricket ground as an asset of community value. It said the nomination lacked the information the law requires.

Bracknell Forest Council has refused to list the Larges Lane cricket ground as an asset of community value. A listing lasts five years and can pause a sale of the land so that community groups have the chance to bid.

The decision was taken on Thursday 5 November by the council’s Borough Solicitor and published on 10 November. It covers the whole ground: the pitch, the pavilion and an extra strip of land shown on the title plan, about 4.6 acres off Larges Lane, east of the town centre.

Why it was turned down

The nomination came from Cllr Roy Bailey, who sits on both Bracknell Forest Council and Bracknell Town Council for The Parks and Town Centre. It was submitted on 11 September. The nomination form gave this reason:

“The Town Centre is expanding rapidly, especially with high density housing and little green spaces. This cricket club provides and outstanding green space and would be of enormous value to the local community.”

The officer’s report gives two main reasons for refusing it:

  • No proof the town council made the nomination. The form named Bracknell Town Council as the nominating body. The council asked for confirmation that it was made on the town council’s behalf and says it never received it. The town council was notified and did not respond.
  • No case for the future. The law requires it to be “realistic to think” community use of the land can continue. The report says the nomination was silent on that, despite letters and emails asking for more detail.

The report did accept that the ground had been used for sport in the recent past. It noted the last listed match there was on 5 September 2026. It also said a members-only club can still qualify, citing earlier tribunal decisions.

What the club and the landowner said

The club’s trustees and the freehold owner both wrote to the council. The owner’s representative described the ground as a single pitch and timber pavilion used only by the club, with the gates locked and no use by other groups. The report does not name the owner.

The report also notes that the club’s own website lists a second ground, Oak Tree Farm Cricket Centre on Twyford Road, Binfield, as “under construction”. The council said it was “not clear” whether the new ground would mean Larges Lane falling out of use. Neither the club nor the council has said Larges Lane is for sale.

A ground with history

The club dates from 1880. Its history page says the Duke of Edinburgh opened the Larges Lane ground and pavilion on 19 April 1955. Surrey played benefit matches there in the 1950s, and the ground later hosted Berkshire county games and youth internationals.

What it means for you

The ground has no extra protection from this process, so a sale would not be paused for community bids. Any plan to build on it would still need planning permission, which is a separate process, as the report itself points out.

The report notes that the review and tribunal appeal routes are open only to the owner. Nothing in the decision stops an eligible body, such as Bracknell Town Council itself, from making a fresh nomination with the information the council asked for.