DEVELOPERS planning to build 700 homes on York's outskirts are set to fund new sports facilities for local residents and schoolchildren.

The sports centre would be built on Fulford School playing fields - next to Germany Beck, where Persimmon Homes is proposing one of York's biggest housing developments.

Details are still under negotiation, but the facilities could include:

An indoor sports hall.

An all-weather pitch.

A clubhouse, possibly including meeting rooms and bar facility.

Improved, properly-drained football and cricket pitches and security fencing.

The scheme, costing at least £1.5 million, would be largely funded by Persimmon as part of an agreement with the council, paving the way for the Germany Beck development.

Derek Gauld, project officer at City of York Council, said that with such housing schemes part of the development site would normally be set aside for playing fields.

But, instead of this, Persimmon would make a cash contribution towards the cost of improving the school playing fields.

The full amount to be contributed was not yet decided, but Mr Gauld said more than £1 million was additionally being promised by the building giant to help Fulford School and St Oswald's Primary School cope with hundreds of extra pupils from the new homes.

Millions more would be contributed towards improvements to local roads, including a new access road into the development from Fulford Road, and on flood mitigation measures.

He said Persimmon had submitted an outline planning application for Germany Beck some 18 months ago, but it had been put on hold while the views of the local community were sought via Fulford Parish Council, the Germany Beck Consultation Forum and Fulford Sports Club, representing local sporting interests.

Now Persimmon was set to come back to the authority within the next few weeks with either a new outline application or an amendment to the original one.

Persimmon technical director John Stroughair said the sports proposals had come out of consultation with the local community. "Everybody has worked together marvellously," he said.

Fulford Sports Group representative Graham Souter said: "We are delighted with the latest proposals which, with sufficient funding, could provide Fulford with a top-class venue for sport and recreation for both the current community and also the new occupants of Germany Beck."

Stephen Smith, head of Fulford School, which has long been lacking a good indoor sports hall, said he hoped the scheme could come to fruition as soon as possible.

Updated: 11:00 Tuesday, April 29, 2003