Cambridge City's Sawston stadium plans approved by High Court

Teams affiliated with Cambridge City will be allowed to use its training pitch and its facilities will be available for conferences and events

Plans to build a new stadium for a city football team are set to go ahead after they were backed by a High Court judge.

South Cambridgeshire District Council's decision in 2014 to approve a new ground for Cambridge City FC had been the subject of a judicial review.

The 3,000-capacity stadium can now be built on green belt land in Sawston, just south of Cambridge.

Club chairman Kevin Satchell said he was "delighted" and the club could now move forward with its plans.

The Southern Premier Division side sold off its Milton Road ground for development and is currently sharing a ground with St Ives Town FC.

'New home'

The judicial review was lodged in 2015 after the planning committee approved the proposal despite officers recommending its refusal.

The council said the judge did not find it had breached "any common law duty to give reasons for granting the permission when it went against officer recommendation to refuse it".

Lynda Harford, chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council's planning committee, said: "The original planning application was considered on its merits following active local public consultation and debate."

Mr Satchell said: "Hopefully we will soon be moving into a new home that we can all be proud of."

Because the development is on green belt, the approval of the Department for Communities and Local Government had to be sought and was obtained.

The plans include a floodlit grass pitch, full-sized training pitch and 500 spaces.