The college had proposed a two-storey extension to their sports hall for a new fitness suite and the installation of a 3G artificial sports pitch.
This was set to be located on the 28,075 square metre area on Woodhouse Lane, which is currently in use as a further education college with classrooms, sports, and specialist facilities.
Plans were withdrawn on November 13 after receiving objections from several bodies including Sport England.
The plan would have seen an additional floorspace increase of 436 square metres.
New facilities were planned to operate from Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 9pm.
Sport England, however, raised concerns about the potential loss to playing fields unless community benefits were clearly demonstrated and stated they would only support the project if satisfactory community use agreements with local clubs, especially for football and potential rugby use, were established.
Most read
Get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device by subscribing to The Northern Echo here – now only £2 for 2 months!
They also required design adjustments for rugby compatibility, the inclusion of a sinking fund for pitch maintenance, and appropriate pricing for community access.
Concerns from the Coal Authority were also raised due to the site’s partial location in a coal mining high-risk area, with potential shallow coal seams.
Northumbrian Water also raised issues regarding surface water disposal for the 3G pitch, stating that a detailed surface water management plan must be submitted and approved to avoid flood risks and ensure capacity in the existing water network.
The college had aimed to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on sustainable development, community health, transport, design quality, and natural environment protection.
They had also planned to follow County Durham policies regarding unallocated sites, transport, green infrastructure, design, amenity, and biodiversity.
