Cricket club hopes to rebuild pavilion after fire

A cricket club has revealed plans to rebuild its pavilion after it was destroyed in an arson attack a year ago.

Emergency services were called to Bures and District Cricket Club, on the Essex/Suffolk border, in September last year to a blaze that consumed the nearly 200-year-old thatched building.

In plans submitted to Babergh District Council, the club is seeking to build a new pavilion at the Wharf Lane ground, to be used not only by the team but also by the wider community.

"The pavilion had served the club and the local community for many years, and its loss has created a significant gap in the sporting and social facilities available at the cricket ground," it said.

The new pavilion would include changing, showering, storage and match-day facilities and be available for coffee mornings, meetings and fundraising events, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A statement in the application said the plans would provide a "modern, functional and sustainable" facility capable of supporting the long-term future of the cricket club.

Pre-application advice from the council said the project would be acceptable, subject to issues around flood risk and biodiversity impact being addressed.

Planning documents said the scheme had been carefully developed to suit the rural character of the site.

Council officers are now assessing the proposals, with a decision expected by 27 October.

The pavilion was destroyed during the night of 9 September 2025.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire was deliberate, but Suffolk Police said it had been unable to secure any arrests or prosecutions.

A force spokesperson said: "All reasonable inquiries have been conducted and no new leads established – the case was filed pending any new information that identifies a suspect."

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