PLANS to create a new sports hub in a Hampshire town could be given the green light this week. 

Planning chiefs and councillors in Eastleigh are to discuss plans to create new sports pitches, a sports pavilion, spectator stands, parking, new footway and cycleway on land at Monks Brook Playing Fields and land south of junction five of the M27 in Eastleigh.

If plans are given the go-ahead, the area will also see three full-size floodlit 3G facilities and will become home to the Eastleigh and District Mini Soccer League.

More than £500,000 coming from developers' contributions and £80,524 coming from Sport England have already been granted. 

The proposal is now set to be discussed tomorrow.

Paul Bicknell, councillor for Eastleigh South ward, said: "It's a fantastic opportunity pending the decision on the meeting on Tuesday. It's fantastic for the people in Eastleigh and the whole borough. It will give the latest facilities and they will be to FA standards because we are working very closely to the Sport England on this project."

The council wants to develop FA Parklife football hubs across the borough.

The Parklife programme was introduced in 2016, alongside the Premier League and Sport England, to help address the issue of poor pitch quality in grassroots football by increasing the number of 3G artificial pitches.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, the proposal to create a new sport hub at the Monksbrook site is part of a major project which will also see 1,100 homes set to be built on the land south of Chestnut Avenue and West of Stoneham Lane. 

Plans for 560 homes set to be built at the site were given the go-ahead in May 2017 while plans for 517 homes are set to be discussed by planning bosses and councillors tomorrow.