North West Leicestershire District Council has officially explained why Ashby Ivanhoe FC's planning application to carry out ground improvements is to go before councillors again next week.

Plans to carry out works to Ivanhoe's clubhouse, with a single storey building to provide changing room facilities, plus retention/extension to terrace stand and new pathway, looked to have been given the green light at a meeting earlier this month.

But, as reported last week by Ashby Nub News, the decision was put on hold due to a miscount during the meeting as to whether it should be deferred.

A subsequent show of hands saw the plans get the go-ahead.

But 'concerns raised by a member' revealed that the matter should have been deferred to the March meeting.

Now, the council has addressed the issue in the agenda for the March 5 planning meeting - and included a note to say that the work should not start until the car parking and access issues from a previous planning application have been carried out.

Ashby Ivanhoe's NFU Ground in Lower Packington Road. Photo: Supplied

But the council is still advising the committee to permit this application, after delay of four weeks.

The agenda for next week's meeting says: "This case is returned to the Planning Committee following concerns raised by a member that at the 6th of February meeting, the vote on the alternative motion to defer this planning application was miscounted and wrongly announced to the Committee.

"Members subsequently went on to agree the original motion to approve the application.

"Following an investigation into the matter, and having sought legal advice, it has been determined that the best course of action is to report the application back to the 5th of March Planning Committee meeting for it to be re-determined.

"Members will recall that the reasoning for the proposed deferral was for officers to discuss with the applicant whether they would agree to a S106 agreement to restrict either the commencement of works or the first use of the clubhouse facilities that are the subject of this planning application until the access and parking facilities which were approved under the earlier planning permission had been fully implemented.

"The legal advice received concluded that, as the application should be returned to the committee for a decision, officers should discuss the reasoning for the deferral with the applicant and ask them if they would formally agree to a restriction so as not to commence or occupy the facilities that are the subject of this application until the parking and access facilities as approved through the earlier permission for the site have been completed.

Images: David Granger Architects/North West Leicestershire District Council

"The legal advice concluded that the above could be achieved via a planning condition and it didn't need to be secured through a S106 agreement, which the applicant previously advised they wouldn't agree to.

"The matter has now been discussed with the applicant who is agreeable to the use of a condition to control the works on site as suggested above, albeit the agreed restriction would be on occupation rather than commencement of development.

"Therefore, this application is put before the Planning Committee with the same recommendation to approve as previously subject to the 11 conditions listed in the original report, and the following new condition: 'The clubhouse alterations hereby permitted shall not be brought into use until the parking, turning, and access drive surfacing measures authorised by planning permission reference have been fully completed and are available for use.'"