IMPROVEMENT plans for a recreation ground in Hartlepool have been given the go-ahead.

Hartlepool Borough Council's cabinet has approved a blueprint for the future development of Grayfields.

Members also gave their approval for officers to begin preparing grant applications to try to secure funding for a range of improvements to the site.

Grayfields, which dates from the early 1920s, is a 16-hectare site that caters for a range of sports, including football, rugby, outdoor bowls and tennis.

Over the past couple of years, it has suffered from high levels of vandalism and arson.

Mayor Stuart Drummond said: "The standard of facilities on the site has been in decline for a number of years, but this blueprint provides us with an opportunity to begin reversing that trend.

"The council accepts that a lot of work needs to be carried out and improvements won't happen overnight.

"However, by making the most of available grant regimes and working closely with a range of other parties, we are confident of making a difference." The development plan has been drawn up by Yorkshire consultantants Steve Wells Associates and includes proposals for:

l A pavilion housing changing rooms, toilets and social facilities close to the Grayfields Enclosure

l A children's play area

l A mini-soccer centre that will accommodate a football development programme incorporating mini-soccer, girls' football, junior club development and club-school links

l Retaining three tennis courts

l Further development of the enclosure to provide the facilities that would enable a club to play at either Northern League or Wearside League level and create a venue for league finals and representative football.

The total cost of the improvements is expected to be about £1.25m, with the council hoping to receive a grant from the Football Foundation to help cover some of the cost.

In the shorter term, work is about to begin to improve the quality of the sports pitches following a successful bid to the New Opportunities Fund for £234,144 as part of the Green Spaces Programme.

Work will also begin in the next few weeks on the children's play area.