A DISUSED BMX track could be converted into an allotment after a council received a petition organised by a teenager.

Sixteen-year-old Michael Bowerbank, whose petition was signed by more than 50 residents of Catchgate, near Stanley, County Durham, wants to see the former stunt track, near his home in Harperley Gardens, turned into plots where people can grow organic vegetables.

Michael, a construction skills student at New College Durham, said: "I love working outdoors and seeing the area change for the best.

"The thing about growing your own food is you know nothing has been added and you have seen it grow.

"The food you grow tastes a lot stronger and better, and it is also healthier because it is organic."

If the scheme goes ahead, he will grow everything from carrots to cauliflower as well as keeping hens for their eggs.

The BMX track was created to give young people somewhere to ride bicycles, but it has been ruined in recent years because people have been riding off-road motorbikes on the land.

Now people use it to dump rubbish, so Michael decided something had to be done.

He said: "My friends say it is never going to happen, but that made me more determined.

"I wanted to prove we could get something done and that is why I started the petition."

Derwentside District Council estimates it will cost £37,000 to make the site suitable for allotments. Its health scrutiny panel has been advised that no work should be done until a £6,000 site investigation determines whether the scheme is viable.

Scrutiny manager Malcolm Hole said: "First, we are going to consult the people on the petition to determine what the actual demand for allotments in the area is.

"Then we need to see whether there is sufficient space available to meet that demand, with the current number of allotments we already have.

"We will decide whether to proceed with the site examination exercise. Depending on the result of that, there will then be a debate on whether the council wants to spend almost £40,000 on new allotments."