Championship side Blackburn Rovers are to launch a public consultation over their plans to build a state-of-the-art training base in the Ribble Valley.
The club have said they are "looking to create the best platform for future success" with the site in Brockhall Village which is currently their Junior Training Centre.
If approved, Rovers would cross-finance the new training centre by redeveloping the site of the current Senior Training Centre to build up to 170 homes, a new local convenience store, new public open space and a children’s play area.
Rovers added that this plan would also open up currently private land to become publicly accessible and benefit the whole Brockhall community.
Chief executive Steve Waggott said: "This is about future-proofing the club. It’s about investing, modernising, making best use of our assets, and creating a platform for success on and off the pitch.
"It’s a proven model. England do it at St George’s Park, many Premier League clubs are doing it and so are a number of our current direct competitors in the Championship.
"Integrating the whole training set-up is the right move for us and will help us become a stronger club.
"We’re working within a planning process with Ribble Valley Borough Council and we’re looking to establish the principle of whether we can do this – consulting the local community, the club’s fanbase and a wide range of stakeholders is a really important part of it.
"Today, we’re confirming the dates and details for the consultation and highlighting how people can get involved."
The formal public consultation period will run from Thursday, March 11 to Friday, March 19.
Rovers added that all feedback provided during the consultation will be considered by the project team ahead of finalising the proposals and submitting an outline planning applications to Ribble Valley Borough Council this spring.
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