
Councillors have backed plans for a new elite training ground to be built by Blackpool Football Club.
Members of Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee supported a recommendation to approve the application for new facilities on land accessed from Steeton Road, part of the Grange Park housing estate.
It was agreed to support the application and delegate final determination to the council’s head of development manager. A number of conditions were attached to the permission which still need to be finalised.
Planning committee member Coun Fred Jackson said after the meeting: “There were some concerns among members of the committee about parking, but we felt if the conditions proposed were met then the recommendation should be supported.”
No other speakers were in attendance at the meeting held at the Town Hall.
The decision follows approval of the same application by Wyre Council’s Planning Committee in April this year. The bulk of the site falls into Wyre’s planning jurisdiction.
Five objections from residents had been received by Blackpool Council with concerns including increased traffic, light pollution from floodlights, loss of natural habitats and noise disruption.
But in their report to the committee, planning officers said these issues could be resolved through proposals such as a traffic management plan.
The scheme includes 10 outdoor pitches, an indoor pitch and a two-storey training building for use only by Blackpool FC’s first team and academy teams, and the facilities would not be open to the public.
However Blackpool FC owner Simon Sadler told a recent fans forum the current priority was investment in the new East Stand at the club’s Bloomfield Road stadium. In the meantime, improvements have been made to the club’s existing training facilities at Squires Gate.
Work to start clearing buildings on Henry Street to eventually make way for the new East Stand is expected to start soon, with an application having been lodged by the council this month seeking permission for the first demolition work.
Initially this will include workshops, garages, extensions and bungalows. The council is assembling the site using funds from the Town Deal, with £6.5m allocated to the Revoe Sports Village which includes new community sports facilities.