A BIG boost for Droitwich's playing fields is on the way - with sports pitches across the town set for much needed revamps.

Your Droitwich News can reveal how a hard-hitting strategy to breathe new life into pitches has been launched by Wychavon District Council amid concern too many could fall into neglect.

The news, described as "excellent" by the town's mayor, is aimed at tackling obesity by making sport like rugby and football even more popular with young people.

The Playing Pitch strategy, devised after deliberations with Sport England, aims to highlight potential areas for investment using cash from developers in return for planning permission for houses.

The district council has powers - known as Section 106 agreements - to ask housebuilders for money towards nearby infrastructure like roads, schools and parks.

The playing pitches blueprint highlights several parts of Droitwich ripe for cash injections, including:

- Droitwich Spa Leisure Centre in Briar Mill, which is described as a "hub" for potential new playing fields investment

- Droitwich Spa High School, with the possible investment including new drainage and the levelling off of the existing pitches, as well as a new 3G one

- The Glyn Mitchell Memorial Ground pitches in Hanbury Road, home to Droitwich Rugby Club, need to be refurbished including drainage and a maintenance plan

- Wychbold Playing Fields, in School Road, which needs the site to be levelled off and weed killing

The whole plan expands across the whole district including Pershore, Evesham and Broadway.

The expectation is that planning officers will earmark the sites when developers come calling with proposals for new homes, using the Section 106 money to help each one.

Councillor Graham Beale, the Mayor of Droitwich, said: "There's a lot of things happening in the town now and people will really be looking forward to these upgrades.

"Young people need good pitches so they can play sport because we all know what junk food can do, this is excellent news."

The blueprint is meant to run alongside the emerging South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), which allocates land across Wychavon, Worcester and Malvern for 28,370 homes by 2030.

By the start of next year the SWDP is expected to be agreed, beating a deadline set by David Cameron of 2017 for councils adopting local plans before ministers intervene.

Councillor Rob Adams, the cabinet member for planning policy, infrastructure and flooding, said: "I've not been happy with the SWDP in the past because it impacts on everybody whether it's new houses, infrastructure, whatever it may be.

"But we're almost at the top of the ladder, like a game of snakes and ladders we've got to get there, it's no good starting from scratch again.

"2017 will get closer all the time."