Chiefs from Chesterfield Borough Council have made the decision because of the huge amount of interest in Wilson Bowden's planning application for the 22-acre project, at the former Demaglass works, off Sheffield Road, in the town.

The planning committee will be meeting on July 1 at The Winding Wheel, and councillors are expected to address concerns about traffic, other retailers and regeneration before making the long awaited decision.

Larger venue

A council spokesman said: "There is a high level of interest. We are therefore moving the meeting to a larger venue to ensure more room and the ticket-only system will make sure it's properly managed."

Wilson Bowden's planning application includes a new £12m, 10,000 seater stadium, a Tesco superstore and a commercial site on 22 acres of land.

The developers have proposed 400 car parking spaces at the stadium, park-and-walk sites and shuttle bus services to reduce traffic problems.

But more than a hundred residents, who previously attended a community meeting at Brimington Comm-unity Centre, raised concerns the development will bring traffic to a standstill.

They argued that spaces for park-and-walk sites or bus shuttles had not been identified and Tesco would attract even more motorists.

Planning director David Ward, of Leicestershire-based Wilson Bowden,claimed traffic would disperse quickly and be well-managed and added: "It's our aim to work with the football club and Tesco to bring this important development forward."

Chesterfield FC has still not confirmed potential investors for the purchase of the stadium, but Wilson Bowden said the site could be preserved for ten years.

Anyone wanting to attend the meeting, which starts at 6.30pm, can get free, planning-meeting tickets by writing to The Planning Reception, Chesterfield Borough Council, Town Hall, Chesterfield S40 1LP with a SAE or by visiting the same address from Monday.


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