AN indoor cricket academy is to be built at the Riverside stadium, home of Durham's county club.

Chester-le-Street District Council and Durham County Cricket Club, who are building the stadium in partnership, are hoping to create a world-class indoor cricket complex for professional cricketers, schools and the public.

Plans for the indoor centre, which were given the go-ahead at Chester-le-Street District Council's planning meeting this week, will include five indoor cricket lanes, a classroom and spectators' gallery.

In addition to improving cricketing opportunities, it will provide high quality indoor training facilities for sports such as athletics, football, rugby and hockey that are currently played at Chester-le-Street Council's Riverside Sports Complex.

Ian Simon, leisure services manager at the council, said: "The facility will be programmed to provide a wide variety of activities and opportunities designed to meet the needs of the whole community."

The centre should also resolve the severe shortage of practice areas where young people can hone their cricket skills during the winter months.

Director of cricket at Durham County Cricket Club, Geoff Cook, said: "This will be a fantastic contribution to local cricket and the development of the sport professionally and for recreation.

"It's been a long process to get to where it is now, so hopefully we'll be able to get it off the ground now."

The money for the centre still has to be found, which is expected to come from lottery grants and other funds.

But there are hopes that work on academy will begin in about six months, at about the time when the Riverside stadium will host the North-East's first cricket Test match.