details of Sunderland AFC's proposed football academy have won planning approval.

Club chairman Bob Murray welcomed Friday's decision of South Tyneside Council, which will allow work to begin next month.

Environment Secretary John Prescott gave the £10m scheme the go-ahead earlier this year following a planning inquiry.

But the council still had to vet landscaping for the site, which lies in the green belt separating built-up areas of Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Approval was granted following a visit to the site, at Whitburn Moors Farm.

Mr Murray said he was "understandably thrilled" to have satisfied all the planning concerns, and said the first steps can now be taken to creating a "world-class facility" to nurture the club's future talent.

He said: "Overall, this is a deserved result for the club and one which means we will be able to progress the academy in November.

"We intend to continue working closely with South Tyneside Council to ensure the Academy of Light not only fulfils our needs, but also those of the local community."

Pitches will be developed on only 60 of the site's 220 acres, and the club's biodiversity plan has been endorsed by a number of "green" groups