Residents say the new facilities on land at Archbishop Tenison's School in Selbourne Road, Croydon, will mean a loss of open space and would bring privacy and security problems, while sports fans are backing the move for an extra public venue.

Lottery money would be used to pay for the 46m x 19m sports hall in the north eastern part of the site, which would be open to the public in the evenings every day except Sundays.