COUNCILLORS have urged Morpeth Rugby Club to take on board its health and safety suggestions over its application for a permanent new pitch.
The club received planning permission for a change of use from agricultural purposes at Low Ford Field, although it was a one-year temporary consent.
It is now asking for it to be made permanent, saying in its supporting statement that there are no longer any significant public concerns.
Providing a pitch at Low Ford Field enables three matches to be played in the area at the same time (the other two at Grange House Field) and the grass at Low Ford is considerably less frost-prone.
The club will also be increasing the car parking area by 1,000 sq m following the Morpeth flood alleviation works.
The town council’s planning and transport committee did not object to the new application, but members said it must not lead to vehicles parking on the stretch of Mitford Road in close proximity to the Low Ford Bridge as this would make an already-difficult section for motorists and pedestrians very dangerous to navigate.
They suggested that the club should develop a parking policy for its grounds, including the coning of certain areas within it, and personnel should make sure people are using the parking facilities at Chantry and Newminster Middle Schools and Technology Colleges for evening training and weekend matches.
Meanwhile, the committee has written to the county council to ensure that correct procedures are carried out with weed spraying.
This followed a complaint from residents about hedges being damaged in an area behind Greystoke Gardens.