Bosses at Lancaster City Football Club unveiled the ambitious blueprint for their West Road complex this week. Now they want to hear your opinions. Under the first phase of the proposals, a junior football school of excellence, community five-a-side pitches, sports medical centre and 2,500-seater main stand - containing a public sports hall and indoor bowling centre - will be built at the ground by the year 2000.

That, together with re-aligning the pitch, building new floodlights and installing new turnstiles, is expected to cost around £2.3 million. Once finished, Giant Axe will be ready for the GM Vauxhall Conference.

The creation of three new stands would then follow to get the stadium up to Football League standard. The development also includes a children's play area, cycle track and training circuit.

Club chairman John Bagguley was anxious to highlight the community aspects of the development. He said: "Lancaster as a city doesn't have this kind of facility. This is right on everybody's doorstep.

"There aren't enough sporting facilities in the area even with Salt Ayre, St Martin's College and the university and I think the city desperately needs something like this."

The club is hoping to convince National Lottery bosses to stump up the bulk of the cash for the project. They will also be looking for grants from the Football Trust and the F.A.

Mr Bagguley hopes to be ready to seek outline planning permission from the city council in six months' time and wants to hear what people in the city have to say about the idea.

He added: "Some residents may not particularly like this kind of development going on around here but that is one of the things we want to talk about.

"We want to take local people along with us and we want them to get involved. The football club has been here since 1902 and it is about time we developed Giant Axe to make sure the community get something out of it. We are open to all sorts of ideas."

What do you think about the idea? What sort of sports would you like to see the new development used for? You can get your views known by writing to John Bagguley at Lancaster City on West Road or to us at the Citizen at Victoria Court, Penny Street, Lancaster, LA1 1AX.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.