Fresh plans have been lodged to pave the way for a manufacturing plant at a once cherished football ground.

Billingham Synthonia’s Central Avenue ground hosted its last game in 2017 with bulldozers moving in two years later.

Now Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies has lodged proposals to prepare the site after buying it up.

Planning reports submitted to Stockton Council show the firm wants to start engineering operations up to 25 metres below ground, including piling, to lay the foundations for the technology giant’s campus expansion.

The Northern Echo:

Work started on the expansion of Fujifilm’s bio-campus late last year with the first phase of the project now finished on land south of the former club site. But documents show “significant growth in global demand” means there is an “urgent need” to expand the campus further.

A new “state-of-the art” manufacturing facility of almost 27,000 square metres is envisaged over three floors. As many as 350 new jobs have been touted through the wider redevelopment.

The Northern Echo:

The planning report stated: “The grant of planning permission for the proposed engineering operations will enable an early works contract to be awarded and construction to start on below ground activities including foundation piling. This is key to Fujifilm meeting its development programme.”

Fujifilm bosses want permission to start groundworks due to “tight timescales” in its programme.

The former football ground was once heralded as one of non-league’s best.
Synners will play their home games at Stokesley Sports Club next season. The club’s move came just two months after it almost ceased to exist after their main source of income pulled out.

But generous donations from football fans and Billingham’s Queensway Dental donation of £10,000 ultimately saved the club from extinction.

The Northern Echo:

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