MILKWALL Football Club is planning to move from its present ground to a new site by the nearby golf course purchased from Forest businessman Harry Kear.

The project involves a £4.6million deal with a developer to build up to 40 two, three and four-bedroom homes on the present pitch and club house site.

It would provide the club with two new pitches, floodlights, a grandstand, new changing rooms and a state of the art eco-friendly clubhouse – but at a meeting on Sunday to explain the project to its current neighbours and the rest of the community, not everyone was happy with the plans.

"We will be putting in our proposals for outline planning permission in the very near future," said club secretary and treasurer Graham Grindle, who called Sunday's meeting.

"It will be good for the club and good for the neighbourhood – we will have the best and most modern facilities of any club in the entire area," he said.

"I do recognise there are objectors to the plans. However, we answered all questions adequately I thought, and there are big benefits. For example, we will be building a new road to the new pitches and this will take away 160-200 cars a week from nearby residents, as well as all the noise from the pitch."

But Mrs Barbara Lucas, whose property in Primrose Drive backs on to the current pitch, complained that a flyer advertising the meeting held no clues to the fact new homes were being planned and there were therefore few nearby residents at the meeting. There were however two councillors present.

"It is as if they were trying to keep the plans a secret from us, when they are all drawn up and ready to go," she said, vowing to fight the proposals. "If this goes ahead we will be losing our lovely views – it's just heaven here."