A campaign group who has been fighting against the £1 million Birchwood Community Sports Project has welcomed a council decision to halt the project.

Birchwood Community Sports Project would have seen a 3G football pitch built, a re-laid multi-use games area, a new all-weather outdoor basketball court and outdoor gym equipment built at Birchwood Leisure Centre.

A Hatfield Town Council extraordinary full council meeting was called on Tuesday, May 14, to vote on if the Labour run administration's plans should be put on hold until November.

But, an amendment was put forward to stop the project completely, which was successfully voted through.

It was a decision that was welcomed by Hatfield Football Community Group, who are proposing the site be used to build a football ground for the community.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Here's what the campaign group's ground could look like.Here's what the campaign group's ground could look like. (Image: The Hatfield Football Community Group)

"The £1 million investment is still on the table the only change we are seeking is the removal of the plastic 3G pitch and inserting a modest community football ground," said a spokesperson for the group.

"We are now working with some town councillors, representatives of local football clubs and the local community to revise the current proposal. The ground will not be for the exclusive use of any one club but a community asset for all clubs.

"In the plan there were proposals to resurface the existing multi use games area, provide external gym equipment, extra car parking and the possibility of netball and basketball facilities. This part of the plan remains the same, and we support these ideas, it is only the plastic 3G football pitch we want to replace."

Around £800,000 of the funding for the Birchwood Community Sports Project would have come from the Section 106 funding for the loss of the sports field at Angerland Common, with the site then leased to Herts FA for 30 years.

The Hatfield Football Community Group are now planning to present their proposal for Birchwood to the Hatfield Community Sports Funding Board, who controls the Section 106 funding and approved the original plan.