RECREATIONAL space earmarked for new 3G football pitches looks set to be transformed into housing as part of a council's regeneration plans.

The community-owned Faraday Road Football Ground in Newbury will continue to be used for leisure, but the land forms a crucial part of the redevelopment of London Road Industrial Estate.

Currently leased to the trustees of Newbury Football Club, ownership of the land will return to West Berkshire Council in June, which will deal a blow to the dwindling options already available in the town.

A recent consultation conducted by Newbury Community Football Group (NCFG) prompted campaigners to submit a planning application to add new pitches.

While the council proposed preserving the space for recreation, it is thought this will only be a temporary measure until the housing plans are finalised.

West Berkshire councillor James Fredrickson said: “This land is important for our vision for the area but until work begins we want it to remain accessible to the local community. Improving the London Road Industrial Estate will rejuvenate this part of town.

“Regenerating the area is a commitment we set out in our strategy and which is supported by our partners through the Newbury Vision 2026. It is an important project and I look forward to it being delivered in the coming years.”

More than 90 per cent of respondents to the consultation felt that Newbury did not have adequate outdoor football facilities.

Since forming in 2016, NCFG have been responsible for helping Newbury FC to gain a two-year extension to their lease from West Berkshire Council.

Lee McDougall, a spokesman for MCFG, added: "We had official confirmation last week that our application had been lodged. This latest news is obviously disappointing, as it sounds like they are happy to take away football pitches when we need more of them.

"We want to redevelop the land to make it accessible for the whole community. The first stage of the battle will be to see if our application is accepted and the council will have to deal with organisations, such as Sport England, who are against removing the pitches."