Plan B's needed for council field

Lyme Regis News 14 April 2006

By CHRIS CARSON

LYME Town Council needs a "plan B" use for its controversial Strawberry Field site.

If their first choice option to develop the area for sport fails to go ahead alternative schemes need to be considered quickly, members of the policy committee were warned last week.

Town and district councillor Ken Meech said although the local plan inspector had ruled out any chance of the area being used for a major sports complex as originally suggested - the way was still open simply to site soccer pitches there.

There was nothing to prevent the town council proceeding with a "more sensible, practical solution" to Strawberry Field use, he said.

"There is no problem playing football up there - it's what you put up there to sustain it," he said, referring to the football club's aborted plan for two. full-size soccer pitches, floodlit multi-sports area and a clubhouse.

He added: "But it might be best to have a plan B because we bought the land some time ago and we have not done anything very much with it."

Coun Lorna Jenkin said representatives from Woodroffe School - where plans to extend sporting facilities are also being investigated - were interested in joining the Strawberry Field working group to provide their input.