Leamside 20 football-pitch plan nonsensical, says MP

A plan to build 20 football pitches in a village is "nonsensical" and should not be allowed to go ahead, an MP has said.

The Russell Foster Sports Foundation has lodged an application to build a grassroots training facility in Leamside, County Durham.

Labour MP Mary Foy said it would attract hundreds of extra cars through the village, creating traffic problems.

However, the foundation said it would be a "community asset".

Durham County Council received the proposal - which includes creating the football pitches, catering facilities, toilets and parking spaces for 280 cars and three coaches - in 2021.

Plans show buildings at the now disused equestrian centre in Pithouse Lane would be repurposed into changing facilities and some indoor pitches.

But dozens of people have raised objections over traffic fears and concerns it could change the landscape.

"It's a huge site, the development is going to be built on greenbelt [and] will change the nature of this small village," Ms Foy, who represents Durham City, said.

"This is a small village with windy roads, there's already been near-misses with walls, with people being knocked over."

The MP, who said she supported grassroots football and activities for young people, said the concerns were "too great to ignore".

However, she said she wanted to work with the foundation to find "a more appropriate site" in County Durham if plans were rejected.

Leamside resident Steve Cave said the surrounding roads were "already very busy" and the prospect of hundreds of extra visitors would "overwhelm the road network".

"It's excellent that young people can enjoy sport, but there's an inappropriateness about building on a greenbelt, on road systems which are not appropriate to the road traffic volumes that this would generate," said Mr Cave, who has lived in the village for more than 27 years.

The Russell Foster Foundation, which runs the Tyne and Wear Youth League, said it had outgrown its home in Newbottle, where it has been since 2011.

It said no more than six pitches would be in use at any one time.

Trustee David Armstrong said there would be no increase in buildings already on site under the plans, and that it had carried out necessary surveys and reports.

He said any increase in vehicles through the area would be spread throughout the day.

Mr Armstrong said: "It's not going to be like a pop concert where everyone turns up in one go, watches the concert and leaves at the same time.

"It will be a gradual ingress and egress over the period of the time they're playing football".

He said the development, which would allow the league to host indoor matches, was "important" in preserving grassroots football.

He said: "We're not talking about adult football here, we're talking about kids' football, health and wellbeing."

He added that he believed "all the boxes have been ticked" and "there's no valid reason to reject it".

Durham County Council said it was unable to comment on ongoing planning applications.

Councillors are due to make their decision in July.

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