New £4m football stadium set for approval

A football club is set to return to its former home after more than 40 years with a new £4m stadium.

Councillors in Great Yarmouth are expected to back plans for Gorleston FC to build the new ground on the Recreation Ground in Church Lane next week.

The club's plans include a full-sized all-weather pitch, floodlights and clubhouse with changing facilities, bar and café.

There has been some opposition to the idea though, with concerns including noise, parking and the loss of land which is currently a recreation ground for the wider community.

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Playing in the eighth tier of English football, Gorleston is one of the bigger clubs in Norfolk.

But the club has been homeless since 2022, when it was forced to leave nearby Emerald Park because the site's owners decided to turn it into housing.

The club currently plays at Great Yarmouth's Wellesley stadium and it has been working with the borough council to return to the recreation ground where it last played in 1982.

Its plans include a 3G pitch and two stands which could hold a combined 600 people, with the stadium having an overall capacity of 1,300 fans.

An overwhelming majority of locals have backed the scheme, with more than 400 letters of support, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However there have been 55 in opposition and earlier this year locals told the BBC of their concerns, which also included further expansion of the site.

Officials at the council say the facilities represent a "clear improvement" on what is already at the Recreation Ground.

They add that while it would result in the loss of an area of open grassland, the new stadium will be able to "facilitate youth football in the heart of the community" and support the town's economy by providing new jobs.

Because of the concerns over noise they have recommended preventing use of the 3G pitch between 2215 and 0800.

They have advised councillors to back the plans when they meet next Wednesday.

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