A POTENTIALLY massive investment in new sports facilities at a town has been welcomed as fantastic news.

Epping Forest District Council's cabinet has decided that £527,000 should be spent on creating a full-size all-weather pitch at Town Mead Recreation Ground, in Waltham Abbey.

The money was initially set to go to Ongar Leisure Centre, but council officers have said that is no longer a priority as new facilities have recently been constructed at next door Brentwood, and grants to complete that scheme will no longer be forthcoming.

More than eleven football and baseball clubs currently use the Town Mead facilities which officers describe as “badly in need of replacement”.

Among them are Abbey Youth which looks after over 200 footballers and carries out winter training at Town Mead.

Vice-chairman Kim Rogers said: “I've got about 13 teams who do training there and it would be very useful. There's an astroturf pitch at the moment but it's not very good.

“It's obviously good news if we can get on it. We've got a lot of youths who play football. We train all over the place because it's hard to find somewhere local.”

The new pitch will be managed by Waltham Abbey Town Council.

Town council leader Stuart Pryde said: “Without a shadow of a doubt we are very excited about it. It's certainly a facility that would be much needed in Waltham Abbey- there's nothing like it in the area.

“It'll be fantastic for Town Mead, we are very active trying to promote it and this would be the icing on the cake. We are absolutely delighted and can't wait to get the ball rolling.”