THE FIRST stage of a multi-million pound scheme to to redevelop Ilkley's main sports fields has been lodged with planners.

Proposals are part of a three-stage project that would see a raft of improvements carried out on the Ben Rhydding Sports Club and Ilkley Grammar School site.

The cost of the total redevelopment is expected to be about £2 million.

Phase one would see a second artificial pitch with lighting created for hockey, along with additional parking, for a combined cost of about £600,000.

The club, which says the resulting facilities could give a huge boost to future generations of sportsmen and women, also wants to add a Third Generation artificial grass football pitch, create a compact athletics training facility and extend the clubhouse, to incorporate extra changing rooms.

The club says all of those measures would result in "improved sporting facilities to meet the current and future demands of Ben Rhydding Hockey Club, Ilkley Town Football Club, Ilkley Harriers and current and future pupils of Ilkley Grammar School.

"All the wider Ilkley and Wharfe Valley community will also benefit by having increased access to facilities through the week."

Ben Rhydding Sports Club president, John Hornby, added: "It is a big plan for the whole community, and it has the potential to make an enormous difference for future generations."

Work on phase one is hoped to begin in early 2016, and the whole project is expected to take four years to complete.

Ilkley Grammar School is supporting the scheme, which is being driven by the hockey club, which already has the necessary first phase funding in place from Sport England, England Hockey, the National Hockey Foundation and its own members.

The new hockey pitch will be partly located on the school's land, and Ilkley Grammar is asking Bradford Council to amend its lease to allow the development to proceed.

If it does, the school would have unlimited use of all the new facilities during school hours.

Councillor Mike Gibbons (Con, Ilkley) said: "I view with interest these expansion plans.

"The area is very popular and is very well used by the club.

"It is also a considerable community asset, but any redevelopment needs to be sympathetic to the area. I look forward to seeing greater detail in due course."

Ilkley Civic Society, meanwhile, has raised some concerns. While supporting the principle of "improving sports facilities in the town", David Blackburn, commenting online, said: "We have a number of concerns that on completion of all three phases, a considerable intensification of use of the site will have taken place by squeezing in the maximum number of pitches."

lWhat do you think? We welcome letters on this or any other subject. E-mail richard.parker@nqyne.co.uk or write to the Content Editor, Gazette and Observer, 38 High Street, Skipton BD23 1JU. Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number.