New Bangor stadium a step closer

Bangor City's hopes of moving to a new football stadium have moved a step closer after councillors backed new plans for use of their current home.

Developers Morbaine Ltd were given permission to use the land for leisure, which could pave the way for a cinema, fitness club, bingo and restaurants.

There had previously been plans for a supermarket at Farrar Road.

Club chairman Ken Jones welcomed the news adding he hoped the club would be in their new home by the 2008 season.

Morbaine Limited said they were waiting for another of their applications to be discussed before they moved on.

"We were originally given permission for a food outlet but when Asda walked away we had to start again," said Barris Liptrott, Morbaine's planning consultant.

We welcome any positive news that we are moving forward slowly Ken Jones, Bangor City FC chairman

As well as leisure facilities, the company is also putting in a further planning application for non-food retail, which is due to go before planners in March.

Mr Liptrott said that the site was ideal because of its edge-of-city centre location, which could attract companies from a similar development on the outskirts of the city at Llandygai.

"After our other application is discussed in March we will look at the site and decide which is the best way forward, whether it will be purely retail or purely leisure, or a mix of the two," he said.

The Welsh Premier league club's new stadium two miles (3km) away on Holyhead Road cannot be built before the situation at the present ground is sorted out.

"We welcome any positive news that we are moving forward slowly," said chairman Ken Jones.

"It has been seven years since we first spoke to the developers and it is only their entrepreneurship which has kept things going.

"It is a shame that the present place has to be flattened, but it is the cost of everything.

"Every year we spend at Farrar Road the club is missing out on funds from the Welsh FA and UEFA," he added.