Residents in Liss were a force to be reckoned with at a Parish Council planning committee meeting earlier this month.

People squeezed into the Village Hall regarding an application to turn the Cricket Pavilion into a football site, with proposals for ground improvements, floodlights, a 50 seater stand, ball stop net, perimeter barrier and concrete walkway.

Liss Athletic FC want to move up to the Wessex League, but can’t do that at their current playing ground at Newman Collard. Due to being a public space, it can’t be fenced off and there’s no scope for creating the stands necessary to reach Step 5 or 6 non-league status.

However, FC representatives were not met with enthusiasm at the February 10 meeting, particularly when it was revealed that the lighting impact assessment for the floodlights appeared to be a previous plan to install them at Newman Collard. In addition, the FC believes the current parking at the Pavilion is adequate for the plans, despite residents pointing to an increase in people at future games.

Club chairman and former Portsmouth FC chief executive Peter Storrie, told The Petersfield Post, that while the FC appreciates the opinions of locals, the only opinions heard at the meeting were against the application.

He added: “Everybody is entitled to their opinion and we understand people’s concerns and want to work with them rather than against them. Our aim is to continue to give football to the people of Liss, and that's what we're trying to do.

“We don't see the car park being an issue, there's been a lot of comments about numbers coming to the games. We don't get a thousand people at matches and it is seventy-five to hundred and only the big ones when we play.

“The lighting survey can be updated, the point that I was trying to make to everybody was we employ consultants to do this.”

On the issue of parking, the owner of The Spread Eagle pub said that he spends most game days moving people attending the football from parking at the pub and that he has little to no customers as a result.

Sandra Wilmot, who lives at The Old Rectory, which borders the Pavilion, says the application is “wrong for the area”.

She said: “The stand is going to be right on my boundary and there's already football there, and it is really loud with swearing and cursing.

“There is the impact of the plans on the conservation area and there are so many documents missing from the application.

“Liss is also a hidden village and surrounded by the hangars, which are way up and have views down of Liss, the council have said they do not want anything that can disturb the views.”

Other concerns among residents included increase in traffic and associated road dangers, the floodlights shining into nearby residential properties, impact on biodiversity and where cricket will be played in the future if residents get the sport up and running again.

Public consultation is open and comments must be received by Tuesday, March 4.