Durham council refuses 20 football pitch plan in Leamside

A proposal to build 20 football pitches for children in a rural village has been thrown out by councillors.

The Russell Foster Sports Foundation lodged plans in 2021 to turn a disused equestrian centre into a grassroots facility in Leamside, County Durham.

But residents, and Labour MP Mary Foy, raised concerns over the lack of transport links and scale of the plans.

Durham County Council's planning committee voted unanimously to reject the scheme.

In a report produced ahead of the meeting, planning officers recommended its refusal on grounds that it would "harm" the greenbelt, and was a "non-sustainable location".

However, they said there had been no objections from highways departments, either locally or nationally.

The foundation asked for permission to redevelop the site, on Pithouse Lane, into a facility with indoor and outdoor pitches.

It also wanted to demolish some buildings, while creating catering facilities, toilets and parking spaces for 280 cars and three coaches at the site.

The council received nearly 100 objections, with many citing concerns that roads would be unable to cope with hundreds of extra cars, and it would change the landscape.

Speaking on behalf of Leamside's residents, Steve Cave said there had been accidents on nearby roads, including Cocken Road, and said a bridge over the disused Leamside railway line was "hazardous".

He said the some homes in the area had been "knocked" by vehicles, while adding that farms in the area required access for large agricultural vehicles.

"Residents chose to live there in preference of a more urban location," he said.

"It's a rural setting with agriculture, equestrianism, popular walking and cycling routes all set within an attractive area in greenbelt.

"Locating the football facility in Leamside would add many hundreds of inwards and outward journeys, severely eroding this essential ease of access and swamping the place with many times the number of residents."

However, David Armstrong, a trustee at the foundation, argued the site would bring "sport, leisure and health" benefits to "future generations" across the region.

He said instead of "horses running around the fields, there would be boys and girls aged from five to 13", who would be able to play indoors, "which was a great advantage of the site".

He said the existing training facility, in Newbottle near Houghton-le-Spring, was open-air and activities were weather-dependant.

"I fail to see how a leisure facility to be delivered at no expense whatsoever to the public purse is not enough of a benefit to be approved," he said.

However, councillors on the planning committee also raised concerns over a lack of public transport in the area, noise pollution and the change of use of greenbelt land. None spoke in favour of the plans.

Jonathan Elmer, Green councillor for Brandon, said there were no "very special circumstances" of the development that outweighed this, adding that a lack of public transport would create a "dependency" on cars.

The foundation must now lodge an appeal with Durham County Council if it wants to proceed with the scheme.

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