A £360,000 sports development could soon be on the way in Seaton Carew.

Hartlepool Borough Council will tomorrow decide if land to the south of Seaton Cricket Club, currently used for grazing, should be turned into four different sport pitches.

Seaton Carew Sports and Social Club wants to develop and manage the development, which would be made up of two football pitches, one rugby pitch and an enclosed, floodlit all-weather pitch for hockey.

If the council develops the facilities with the club, it is hoping to make them accessible to the public as well as club members.

A council spokesman said: "There is a clear need for the development of outdoor recreation facilities in the area. For football, this was evidenced at the Seaton Carew consultation meeting held in April this year when several local players canvassed for more pitches to be provided. The vast majority of council's 28 pitches are some distance away from Seaton Carew."

The sports club's proposals will take up less than half of the land, leaving the rest free for grazing or tree planting to create woodland.

Although the sports club is unable to offer funding for the scheme, the council is hoping to establish a partnership with other agencies and to get funding from schemes such as the Woodland Grant Scheme and Sports Lottery Grant.

The scheme has an estimated cost of £360,000, but the vast majority of this is required by the synthetic all-weather pitch.

It has been suggested that if finance cannot be raised for the scheme, this pitch could be replaced by a normal grass one until more funds were forthcoming.

But concerns have been raised about the possibility of creating a woodland which could attract birds of prey to the area, which is near Seaton Common and Dunes, an area used by wildfowl and waders.

To combat this problem discussions with conservation agencies and English Nature will take place before any planting commences.

At tomorrow's meeting, the council will be recommended to accept the proposal from the sports and social club, but will also consider leaving the area as grazing and looking at other possible uses for it.