Sporting chance

PLANS for a multi-million-pound sports complex for young people in Hathershaw and Fitton Hill have been submitted to Oldham Council.

New Deal for Communities (NDC) has lodged the £3 million sports zone proposals at the Centre for Professional Development, the former Fitton Hill secondary school, in Rosary Road.

The scheme includes a single-storey building to accommodate changing facilities and a clubhouse.

It will involve partial demolition of the old school gym, car parking and new vehicle access off Rosary Road, six or 10 all-weather, fenced-off, floodlit multi-use games pitches. Vicky Johnson, NDC’s health theme manager, said: “The new sports zone will be a fantastic addition.

“It will put the area on the map in terms of local and regional sport.”

The NDC programme will invest £1.8m to make the scheme a reality. The Football Association will pledge 25 per cent.

Consultation letters have been sent to near-by residents and Park Dean School as well as St Martin’s CE Junior, Infant and Nursery School informing them of the plans.

It is not known exactly when the scheme is due to go before Oldham Council’s planning committee.

However, if the application is given the go-ahead, the Chronicle understands work is scheduled to begin in September — and could be completed by March, 2010.