Chelmsford City Football Club are a step closer to returning to playing in the town.

Borough councillors will decide in the Spring whether planning permission should be granted to the club for a temporary stadium at Melbourne Park, until the outcome of a public inquiry into the club's proposals for a new, permanent home to be built at Boreham.

This could take several years to be resolved and so the council offered land at Melbourne Park, where the nucleus of supporters come from, for a temporary home.

Following negotiations, the formal planning application was handed in to the council on Monday.

The proposed temporary facilities would be the minimum required in order to comply with the Dr Marten's Premier League, including a temporary stand and covered terraces with a stadium capacity of 3,000.

Mid-Essex fans of the club have had to go to Billericay, where the club has been playing since 1997, and Mike Mackrory, leader of Chelmsford Council, said: "The council has been working closely with the football club towards a return to the borough since the loss of the old New Writtle Street ground.

"We believe this proposal offers the best way forward in the short term."

And Peter Stroud chairman of the club said: "We are grateful to the borough council for all their work to help us return to the county town.

Published Wednesday, December 18, 2002

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette