Football plans for derelict Cannock pitch

The pitch at the junction of Ironstone Road and Sevens Road in Rawnsley has not been used or maintained since 2011.

But now Heath Hayes based football team FC Newlands has approached Cannock Chase District Council to lease the land for 25 years.

The club would lease the land at little or no cost and take over responsibility for bringing the football pitch back into use and maintaining it.

FC Newlands also wants to include a car park to minimise any traffic impact and erect temporary buildings to hold meetings and safely secure sports equipment.

On top of this proposal, the council also has the option of leasing the land to a local farmer, who has expressed an interest in grazing their sheep there which would help maintain the land.

The authority is expected to take FC Newlands up on its offer, but no firm decision will be made until the council's cabinet discuss the land at a meeting on Wednesday.

A report prepared ahead of that meeting, which will be chaired by leader of the council George Adamson, said: "Planning Services have no objection to lease the site to FC Newlands subject to the grant of appropriate planning permission(s).

"The football pitch was included in the Council’s Playing Pitch Strategy Audit in 2010, the results of which identified a shortage in junior football pitches. Agreeing to the request from FC Newlands would bring back a junior pitch into use in the district.

"On the basis that the council wishes to support the activities of the junior football club and help bring back a junior football pitch into use, one option is that a lease of sufficient length is granted to FC Newlands on favourable (non-commercial) terms for the site. The details of the lease will need to be agreed."

FC Newlands was established in 2015 with 1 under-10 junior team but now has eight teams with the ambition to increase by a further four teams by May 2017.