£5m plans for Dronfield

The town centre's crumbling 30-year-old sports centre is currently undergoing a 3.2m face-lift.

The new site will include an improved swimming area and a 60-station health and fitness suite.

About a mile away, there are plans for another project, said to be worth a further 2m.

Gosforth Fields Sports Association (GFSA) is applying for permission to build a new sports club building and floodlit artificial turf pitch.

The site currently features 22 acres of playing-fields, home to seven full size football, two rugby and other junior pitches.

It is busy now. The area is used by 26 boys teams, seven girls, two under-18s, eight senior teams and one veteran side.

It will be busier still if development is agreed by North East Derbyshire Council.

The fields originally belonged to Gosforth School but were handed over to GFSA, (who also brand themselves with a more modern name of Sport Dronfield,) when the school closed on that site in 2004.

GFSA say they have "engaged funding advisers" to come up with the cash.

It is likely the planning application will not go before planning councillors until next month, at the earliest.