SPORTSMEN and women in Cookley have scored a major success with a dramatic revamp of village playing fields being given the thumbs-up.

"Decrepit" changing rooms will be demolished and replaced with a larger building with more modern facilities, while derelict and overgrown tennis courts will become a floodlit, all-weather, multi-purpose pitch.

Wyre Forest District Council's planning (development control) committee has given the green light to the bid by Cookley Playing Fields Association - although a condition banning football on Sundays was slammed as "crazy".

Residents and schools will use the new facilities.

They are in the green belt but planning officer Mike Parker stressed this was permitted provided they do not affect its openness.

The fields stretch from Lea Lane to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, while the existing buildings and tennis courts are next to the former vicarage.

Four changing rooms, showers, toilets, referees rooms, a first aid room and stores will all be included in the new structure.

Mr Parker said the playing fields were "long-established and well-used" but said the current changing facilities are "decrepit".

Six-metre fencing and four 12-metre floodlights will surround the new 67-metre by 35-metre pitch, to be used for tennis, netball, football, volleyball and hockey.

Mr Parker received one letter objecting to the location of the rooms and the impact of the floodlighting.

But he said the Old Vicarage was well-screened and the restrictions on hours of use would "not upset their amenity".

The plan was approved with the condition Sunday and Bank Holiday use was restricted to tennis and netball.

Councillor Howard Martin criticised the "overly bureaucratic" and "crazy" measure.

However, Mr Parker, who said the association had pledged activities would be supervised and bad language curtailed, explained it could apply to remove this condition later.

Floodlights will be switched off at 10pm.