Preston North End gains consent for training ground improvements
The football club has been given the go-ahead for work at its Dodney Drive training ground in Lea, providing an interim solution for players who still have “a number of years” to wait for a replacement facility to be built at Ingol Golf Course.
The club submitted the application in February, to demolish a single-storey building, used as dressing rooms and dining rooms, and replace it with a two-storey extension to the existing sports hall.
The building would house changing rooms, physio and hydro rooms, dining areas, meeting rooms, and press space.
Preston North End received planning consent in 2017 for a new first team training facility, as part of a wider 450-home development of the former Ingol Golf Club.
A reserved matters application for 152 homes from housebuilder Bellway Homes was approved earlier this year, although a scheme is yet to start on site.
Preston North End has previously said work could only begin on the training facility once profit from the homes was released.
PWA Planning, advising Preston North End, said in the application: “The development represents an interim short-term solution and facility for the first team training ground, whilst construction and funding details for the new training ground are finalised at Ingol Golf Course.”
A statement from the club to fans in February acknowledged the construction of the training ground could still be some time away. A spokesperson said: “In all of our pre-planning discussions it was made clear that the financing of the training ground could only be based on the delivery of the profit from the whole of the housing development. This remains the case.
“Some three years later we have still not received any substantive return from the housing planning and due to the detail of the consent we are unlikely to do so for a number of years.
“Our strategic objective for the site at Ingol is unchanged, however, the short term need to give our players the right facilities has led us to consider an interim solution that is cost effective, provides our players with enhanced facilities from those currently provided and can in the future be passed on to our senior academy team who are currently located at UCLan.”
