A football club has accused a council of not supporting its plans to build a £1.5 million sports facility.

Hatfield Peverel Football Club is seeking planning permission for the sports centre at a new ground in Wickham Bishops Road, mainly with funding from the Football Foundation.

The parish council has spent £132,000 developing the site, which it owns, for community activities, and an indoor bowls club is already in residence.

Now the football club wants to develop a pitch and buildings that would be available for all members of the community to use.

Under district council rules, the planning application fee would be reduced from £2,850 to about £1,500 if put in by a parish council, and the club was prepared to pay the reduced fee itself.

But at a meeting of Hatfield Peverel Parish Council, members voted against allowing the application to be lodged in their name.

Clerk to the council Eric Windus said: "The parish council felt that if it put the application in, it would have to endorse everything in the proposal.

"The council still supports the club's move, but they represent the whole village and felt they should remain impartial and able to represent whatever views are put forward by residents."

But football club spokesman Terry Haydon said the council's decision was very disappointing and showed no support for the development.

Mr Haydon added: "The club is going to proceed with the planning application at the full cost."

Published Thursday, March 7, 2002