Hartlepool amateur football club boosted after storage plans approved

Hartlepool FC play their home games at Grayfields Recreation Ground and earlier this year submitted plans for an 8ft x 20ft storage container on the site to store playing equipment.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s planning department has now given the go-ahead for the work which comes due to the demand the club has seen.

Last year the club started a number of junior sides and plays on the council pitches at the site in Jesmond Gardens.

The plans by Chris Murray state the steel container will be installed at the corner of the recreation ground to cope with equipment needed due to the club’s growth.

A planning statement said: “The council are unable to provide us with all the equipment needed for the kids to play games so we have to bring it all with us for each game.

“Over the past 12 months the club has grown massively making it difficult to bring enough equipment with us.

“Next to the pitches and adjacent to the bowls club is a piece of waste land were the container would be sited.”

The club provides football to all ages starting from age four and upwards.

The junior pitches are located on the land near the allotments that used to be the old cricket pitch.

The whole site is surrounded by a large green fence and accessed through locked gates.

The club has selected a green 20ft storage container in order to fit in with the surroundings.

The container won’t be able to be seen from a public highway, but would be visible by people using the bowls club or accessing the allotments.

The pitches are accessed through the track at the end of Thornhill Gardens next to the allotments.

Nic Marko , Local Democracy Reporting Service