Purfleet's hopes of making major improvements to its ground have been rekindled after councillors overturned their planning departments' advice.

The club has applied for planning consent to build a new stand and snack bar, put a roof over existing terracing, and to use Green Belt land as an overflow car park.

They have become one of the leading sides in the Ryman Premier Division in the last seven years, twice finishing in fourth place.

But if they are to win promotion ground improvements would be necessary before Fleet would be allowed into the Conference .

Thurrock Council's planning department was recommending that the club's application should be refused because of Green Belt and road safety considerations.

The council's development control committee, however, has told officers to think again and bring back a new recommendation more supportive to the club.

The committee was told that extra traffic generated by the improvements could cause road safety problems.

But the main sticking point was the overflow car park said assistant chief planner, Tony Norrington.

The proposed site was in a particularly sensitive area of the Green Belt on land leading down to the Mar Dyke river on land which was also subject to flooding.

Councillor Carl Morris (Lab, Grays Riverside) said Purfleet used their overflow car park only three or four times a year for pre-season friendly matches against Premier sides such as Manchester United and West Ham.

"This is a perfectly acceptable application and I don't believe it will lead to people marching horses through our Green Belt policy," he said.

Committee chairman Tim McMahon said there was a simple solution to the car park objections.

"We can limit the number of times a year the overflow car park can be used. If in the future the club finds it is exceeding that number then it will have to come back to us."

Published Wednesday November 28, 2001