COUNCILLORS are to discuss a retrospective planning application for training nets at a cricket club that were damaged during an arson attack.

Annfield Plain Cricket Club, near Stanley , has applied to Durham County Council for permission to retain the fixed structure to allow players and youth members to practice.

But some nearby residents have complained about the impact on the view from their house and noise from the young people it attracts.

The nets have been closed since early August after they were set deliberately set alight.

A spokesman for the cricket club said: “The club considers the practice nets a fundamental requirement for a modern cricket club. “The club was formed on the site in 1943, and aims to create a safe and inspiring environment to enrich the lives of young people from the community and develop fitness and co-ordination through cricket by providing enhanced facilities, team and personal values.”

The council has received six letters of objection from residents and seven letters of support.

The main objections fall into two categories, noise and appearance.

The noise issues relate both to the sound of bat on ball, and the sound of the players themselves. The sound is compared to a ‘rifle crack’ as the ball is hit, with additional noise as the ball hits the frame of the nets. The noise and foul language from the players is described as ‘unacceptable’ and affects a baby and a dog in adjacent houses, with the sound of bat on ball echoes off surrounding houses.

The structure itself is considered by some residents to be an ‘eyesore’, ‘intimidating and overbearing’, and too big for the size of the area. The planning committee meeting is being held in the council chamber at Chester-le-Street on Thursday at 2pm.

Senior planning officer Steve France has written a report advising member to approve the application. He said: “The proposals have two main areas of contention, their visual appearance and the effect of their use on residential amenity, which is predominantly a noise issue.

“The structures are an expected feature on a cricket ground, and both in their own right, and in partially obscuring a previously uninterrupted view of the cricket ground, are considered acceptable in appearance.”