CREATION of an artificial sports pitch and changing facilities at a Fenland school is set to be phased to plug a funding shortfall.

Revised plans for the scheme at Cromwell Community College, in Chatteris, are set to be approved next Wednesday by Fenland District Council’s planning committee.

The revisions include building two changing rooms, for now, in the pavilion instead of the four originally planned to ensure the development gets up and running.

A report to the committee says the school “seeks to enable a phased development of the scheme to address shortfalls in funding available at this time”.

It also says: “It should be noted that the pavilion maintains its scale and form, albeit at a reduced level. As such it could reasonably be partially implemented without reference to the Local Planning Authority.

“Also proposed are revisions to the landscaping proposals to delete the previously identified bund which was to run along the western boundary of the site and its replacement with a planting scheme.

“Variations proposed to the conditions to facilitate a phased development will enable the project to be brought forward within the budget available, whilst not compromising the delivery of the scheme initially proposed when the scheme was first presented to the committee for consideration.”

Initial plans were approved in February 2009 for a artificial sports pitch, single storey changing rooms, car park, pedestrian paths, vehicle entrance and floodlights to be built at the college.

Planning officers have recommended that the revised plans are approved.