BELVEDERE and Calder Vale Sports Club has failed in a last gasp plea to Burnley Council to extend its facilities.

Club officials attended the full council meeting but could not get officials to change the decision to keep the land at Highfield Avenue as public open space.

The Belvedere representatives said a club survey of houses in the area indicated that residents were now not against the extension plans.

However, recreation and leisure committee chairman Coun Barry Guttridge asked councillors to stick to the decision not to sell or lease the land to the sports club because of opposition from residents.

Coun Harry Brooks asked the committee to think again. He said the evidence was "uncertain to say the least" and the interests of many residents would be best served by the land being used for sports facilities rather than possibly being sold and used for housing.

But Coun Stephen Large said there had already been full and effective consultation with two well-attended public meetings and a petition by 200 local people asking the council to keep the land as public open space.

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