Replacing a football ground’s grass pitch with an artificial one would cause environmental damage to Windsor Great Park nearby, objectors have said.
Windsor & Eton Football Club, which leases the Stag Meadow ground in St Leonards Road, Windsor, said the plan would make the sport “accessible, sustainable and welcoming”.
The ground is owned by the Crown Estate and it is a joint applicant in the plan that has been submitted to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM).
Some of about 90 opponents worry about ecological damage to the Windsor estate, large parts of which are designated as sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) and a special area of conservation (SAC).
The club said the new pitch would give hundreds of children a consistent, reliable pitch to play on.
But objectors say microplastics from the pitch could cause environmental damage, while planned LED floodlights could harm wildlife nearby.
One said it would “urbanise” the area around the ground and would “degrade” dark skies.
They said if the application goes ahead, the things that make the area so special “would be diminished”.
The club said more than 1,250 residents signed a petition in support of the proposals and over 80% of respondents backed the plans through a public consultation.
But some objectors highlighted the actions of West Berkshire Council, which pulled a project to replace a grass pitch at Faraday Road in Newbury with a 3G one earlier this year over similar environmental concerns.
In the spring the council said it was “fully committed” to delivering the replacement pitch but was still looking at the risk of microplastics from it entering the River Kennet.
A plan for new floodlights at Faraday Road was approved by the council in March.
