Play suspended on club's £1.3m dream

Plans for a junior football club's £1.3million clubhouse in South Staffordshire have been withdrawn for the time being as the club faces running out of time for its application.

Wyrley Juniors Football Club had submitted proposals to South Staffordshire Council to build its new home on Long Lane on the outskirts of Great Wyrley but have withdrawn them while a flood risk assessment and surveys of the area and trees are done.

Club chairman Keith Hardy has stressed the club remains committed to the proposals.

They need to get all the surveys done to fulfil government planning criteria on the current application.

He said: "The bottom line is that it is a timing issue rather than a knock-back. We are fully committed to this project and our fundraising and grant-raising exploits are still going on.

"It's something we have been working on for the last seven or eight years and not a scheme we are willing to let go easily. This is just the last hurdle to get over."

The club intends to resubmit the plans within the next 12 months and has 30 letters of support from residents of Long Lane.

The proposals include a new single-storey clubhouse, two full-size pitches, two mini-soccer pitches, six changing rooms, two referee changing rooms, a medical room, kitchen and coaches' training room as well as a community room accessible to the residents of Long Lane and Newtown free of charge for up to 52 times a year.

The plans had been approved by the council in July 2003 but permission expired before a brick was laid.

With 36 teams, Wyrley Juniors is the largest club of its kind in Staffordshire taking in players from Great Wyrley, Cheslyn Hay, Cannock and Bentley.