AMENDED plans for a new football stadium on Goldhanger Road are now available for public consultation.

Heybridge Swifts Football Club wishes to build a new ground and facilities on land off Goldhanger Road, funding it by allowing Bloor Homes to build 104 homes on its Scraley Road ground.

The club began their first public consultation in March 2015, and after a great deal of feedback have now released their amended plans for public view.

Residents have expressed fears that a new ground would cause flooding risks, cause heavy traffic and generate noise and light pollution from the ground’s floodlights.

The amended plans include a 450 per cent increase in the amount of woodland planting on site, with a more expansive set of woodland planted between the site and Saltcote Hall, who previously complained the noise pollution would be too great.

Floodlights for the practice pitch which borders the north side of the plans have also been completely taken away, and a five metre wide column of woodland will also be planted on the west side which faces Drapers Chase.

Peter Adamson, Project Manager for the new site, said the project had been community lead with all public concerns taken on board.

He said: “People’s view of a stadium is certainly not this, it’s not Manchester United, and crowds would not be more than 200 people, often less than that.

“We’ve had acoustic reports which monitored sound production and travelling distance, and the reports have come back to find that even without all the planting of woodland that we would do, the noise produced would be below the ambient levels of the area.

“All of this is extra, we’re going that extra mile to make sure that we’ve got that extra barrier, the car parking has been moved away and alterations of the drainage and land area.

“There wasn’t any real screening on the left side of the sight, we have now massively increased the planting on the edge, and it’s now five metres wide. After ten to 12 years you won’t be able to see anything at all of the area.

“It’s around a 450 per cent increase in the planting. Our ecologists have said it will provide a really good net benefit of having so much planted.”

The plans have also passed all flood risk assessments and also include widening Goldhanger Road outside the entrance to allow a slip junction for both the stadium and Basin Road to help traffic flow.

Peter added: “We’ve explored all avenues and potential sites for improvement, but this location is all we have.

“We’ve really tried to cover all raised issues during our public consultation and listen to what the people have been saying.”

Gary White, Chairman of Heybridge Swifts Football Club, said: “The club are not trying to force these plans through, we’re listening to the concerns of the public and we’re applying that to our designs.

“Our facilities need the improvements, and many we’ve heard from don’t want to see football decline in the area. We’re certainly very keen on this new site, but we want to ensure all public concerns are listened to.”

The plans are available for viewing on Maldon District Council’s planning portal.