Newcastle United's plans to upgrade the club's training ground have potentially moved a step closer after no bat roosts were discovered on site.
Newcastle's owners intend to build a state of the art facility in the long-term, but the Magpies have submitted an application to North Tyneside Council to revamp the club's Benton base in the short-term after admitting that the current facilities 'fall significantly below the Premier League and perhaps even Championship standards'. The plans to revamp the dated 2002 facility include hydrotherapy and plunge pools; improved changing rooms; new doctor and physio rooms; an updated presentation room; a modern players' lounge; and an extended dining area
ChronicleLive understands the council's planning committee are still working towards a target decision date of June 28 but, before the green light can be given, or not, a series of surveys have had to take place. A previous draft ecological impact assessment submitted by Total Ecology consultants in April, for instance, noted that the main building at the training ground, which Newcastle wish to extend, had several bat roosting opportunities.
