By Juliette MaxamA FOOTBALL club wants to build 40 flats on part of its pitch and car park to fund a new stadium.Braintree Town Football Club is asking Braintree District Council for planning permission for the scheme.
By Juliette Maxam
A FOOTBALL club wants to build 40 flats on part of its pitch and car park to fund a new stadium.
Braintree Town Football Club is asking Braintree District Council for planning permission for the scheme.
But people living near the football club are opposed to the proposal and have written letters and sent a 32-name petition to the council calling for it to be rejected.
The club wants to build 40 two-bedroom flats, each with one parking space each, with the blocks between two to four storeys high. The development would be reached from a new roundabout off the existing access to Clockhouse Way.
A former parking area, the existing surfaced car park, clubhouse buildings and part of the football pitch make up the proposed building site.
A report to the council's Braintree area committee said: "It is understood that this proposal is linked to the football club's aspirations to redevelop the whole site in order to provide a new two-storey clubhouse building, improved playing facilities, stands and additional car parking for up to 300 vehicles."
It added: "The football club has produced a prospectus most recently updated in May 2005 outlining proposals and its ambition.
"Whilst not material to the determination of this outline planning application, it is indicated that the development value of the application site may potentially provide the necessary funding to enable the redevelopment of the whole remaining football club site."
Planning officers have recommended the proposal should be given the go-ahead when it is discussed at a meeting on September 20.
The council has received 11 letters of objection and a petition signed by 32 residents of Cressing Road and Clockhouse Way.
They were concerned about potential traffic problems in the future and feared Clockhouse Way was not a suitable access for the site, arguing a new access should be built from Cressing Road or Millennium Way.
Other objections included claims that four-storey blocks of flats would be out of character and "overly dominant" and would overlook existing homes.
Residents were also worried about future noise and light pollution from building work and the redevelopment of the football club.
juliette.maxam@eadt.co.uk
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