A cricket club has accused a council of failing to support grassroots sport after a bizarre wrangle over planning permission for a marquee.

Halstead Cricket Club has lodged an appeal after Braintree Council refused to allow a marquee to be put up seasonally at their Star Stile ground in Colne Engaine Road, Greenstead Green.

The club, which spent £3,000 on the marquee, had for the past 14 years hired marquees for big events such as its cricket week, beer festivals and corporate events.

However, that was proving increasingly costly and inconvenient.

The club hoped to put up the marquee from mid April to September.

A council decision statement said the ground was outside the development boundary and that the marquee would visually detract from the area and events likely cause unacceptable levels of noise.

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