PLANS for two state-of-the-art artificial sports pitches in a market town have hit a hitch..

A crucial meeting will take place today between Ribble Valley Council and the two charities involved in the £1million development.

The authority’s community services committee gave the go-ahead in March for the Lancaster Foundation to build the pitches on council land in Edisford Road, Clitheroe.

They would be them run by the newly-formed Ribble Valley Community Sports Trust for a nominal £20,000 annual rent with the council retaining 10 per cent pitch availability.

The deal, which would see the council forego £500,000 over the 25-year lease, would have secured all-weather facilities for the Clitheroe Wolves FC and community sports projects.

Now the sports trust has withdrawn its offer of 10 per cent allocation rights and asked for a 50 per cent reduction in its first year’s rent.

Committee chairman Cllr Simon Hore said: “We unanimously agreed that the scheme was fantastic, but the complete loss of the facility would be unacceptable."

Chris Richardson, development director of the Lancaster Foundation, said the three parties would meet today to discuss the scheme's future.