A FOOTBALL club's battle for more land has kicked off with a petition.

The 1,400-signature appeal comes after an offer to lease land to the club was withdrawn by Malvern Hills chiefs.

Malvern's Newtown Sports Junior Club chairman Martyn Twinberrow and the club's FA charter co-ordinator Simon Elmes delivered the petition to district council offices yesterday.

Residents had signed in support of the club leasing the Sling Lane playing fields to help it expand from its current Lower Howsell Road site.

The local authority had been negotiating with the club for several months but the council's Liberal Democrat's leader Tom Wells told club representatives last month the offer had been withdrawn.

It represented a U-turn as the council agreed in principle last July to lease the land to Newtown Sports.

But it followed the council receiving more than 100 letters of objection over the impact of noise and vehicles and how the site might be developed.

However, Mr Twinberrow said he believed the decision should be made by the executive committee and not an individual member and he hoped they would reconsider.

"We were disappointed the council said one minute it was going ahead and then it was withdrawn.

"If we can speak more with the council and residents maybe we can resolve the issue and move forward."

The club has about 290 playing members under 18 and runs more than a dozen teams, for boys and girls.

Cultural services manager Amanda Smith said the executive committee would examine the proposal at a meeting on Tuesday, May 24.

"We're keen to work closely with Newtown Sports but obviously we need to address the concerns of residents so we don't think it's an open-shut case.

"At the end of the day the playing fields are a wonderful asset but they're greatly underused and we want to try to maximise that usage by the community."

Coun Wells declined to comment.