An elite project delivered at a historic former first-class ground

How Dura-Sport helped Nottinghamshire to create a top new facility

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

In April 2026, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club formally secured a 25-year lease for the historic West Park, located just a stone’s throw from its world-famous Trent Bridge headquarters.

As part of the agreement, Rushcliffe Borough Council, in partnership with Notts CCC and the England and Wales Cricket Board, identified the need to upgrade West Park’s existing practice nets and supporting infrastructure. Following consultation with all stakeholders, Dura-Sport was appointed to build a technically complex, six-week winter build. The goal was to deliver a top-tier community cricket facility—on time and within a strict budget.

With a November start date and the park remaining fully open to the public throughout the project, Dura-Sport faced the dual challenge of winter construction conditions and heightened health and safety requirements. This included the careful coordination of deliveries, equipment, vehicles, and construction activity within an active community space.

Recognising the proximity of residential properties, Dura-Sport designed and installed an acoustic fencing system to minimise noise disturbance during evening practice sessions. To protect the cricket outfield from construction traffic, a heavy-duty temporary haul road was laid from the hardstanding areas to the work zone, ensuring no damage to the park grounds during the build.

The completed facility showcases Dura-Sport’s expertise in elite sports design and construction. The five-lane, non-turf cricket practice facility features ECB-approved pitches and a specially designed cage and netting system, fully enclosing the area to prevent balls from entering public space. Two separate lockable access gates ensure both accessibility and safeguarding compliance. Groundworks also included new tarmac pathways and a comprehensive drainage soakaway system.

“West Park has a long and celebrated history in cricket, and we are delighted to be working with Rushcliffe Borough Council to unlock the site’s full potential,” said Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Interim Chief Executive, Michael Temple.

The club will use the new facility to host training sessions, helping to nurture the next generation of both professional and recreational cricketers.

“Cricket is becoming more popular, which is fantastic news for everyone involved, but it does require us to develop new facilities to meet that demand. From a strategic perspective, the lease for West Park is absolutely instrumental to us,” said Director of Cricket, Mick Newell.

While continuing to serve as the home of West Bridgford Legion CC, West Park will also host Nottinghamshire’s Blaze teams, boys’ squads, disability cricket programmes, the ACE Programme, and a newly formed LGBTQ+ team.

The West Park project demonstrates Dura-Sport’s ability to deliver complex, multi-stakeholder developments that balance technical excellence with community sensitivity—transforming ageing infrastructure into an elite-standard facility that will serve Nottinghamshire cricket for decades to come.

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