'Things are moving': Preston North End committed to Ingol training ground plan

ALSO READ: Planning battles, a fan petition and more - Our timeline of Preston North End’s Ingol training ground plan

Work has yet to start on the £14m facility on the site of the former Ingol Golf Club even though planning permission was granted in August 2017.

The area has been fenced off and the lack of activity had led to fears among some PNE fans that the plans had been put on the back-burner.

However, North End say it will be built with some slight amendments made to the plans for the building.

The land for the training ground has been signed over to PNE, having previously been owned by a company belonging to the club’s owner Trevor Hemmings.

No time frame has been put forward though, as to when the building work will start.

Last June, Preston’s initial planning application, which covered the training ground and housing surrounding it, was turned down by the city council’s planning committee.

The training ground part was granted but the housing development rejected.

North End supporters got strongly behind the bid with a petition, and an amended application was passed two months later.

The Post approached PNE for an update on the plans.

A North End spokesman said: “There are a number of things happening.

“There was a period after the housing had been signed off when it was open to being called in for a judicial review.

“The Section 106 order was signed at the end of March and there are three months when it can be called in.

“That period only finished quite recently.

“We are resubmitting some minor amendments on the training ground building.

“That is the building and not the pitches – the plans for the pitches remain the same.

“The ownership of the land for the training ground has been passed to us – Preston North End now own it.

“Previously it was owned by a company belonging to Mr Hemmings.

“It is now an asset of the club so any suggestion that the land can been used to build more houses on, isn’t correct.

“Things are moving but not necessarily very fast.

“The housing which forms part of the application was very important and aspects of that needed work.”

The spokesman confirmed that at present, sheep were grazing on the land.

When built, the training ground will boast three full-size grass pitches, a full size artificial pitch and two five-a-side pitches.

The building will contain an indoor pitch, changing rooms, a gym, a treatment room and a dining area.

Meanwhile, North End are hosting a fans’ forum in the Greats’ Room at Deepdale on September 17 (6.30pm start).