A FOOTBALL team has cried foul over a lack of access to the new playing pitches at Bellsmyre Primary School campus.

Secretary of youth football team Renton Craigandro, Kevin McIntyre, says his team have been prohibited from using the artificial pitch- despite claims it is intended for community use.

Kevin said: "As the secretary of a large local youth football club, I am dismayed that over two months after the opening of the new Bellsmyre Primary School campus, that the facilities are still not being opened up to the community.

"In particular I am referring to the artificial football pitch which we have enquired about letting due to a dearth in availability within Renton and Vale of Leven areas.

"As a club with over 150 young children between 4 and 14 years of age, and growing on a weekly basis, we are constantly having to try and find suitable indoor and outdoor facilities for the kids to train each week.

"This campus has a state- of-the-art 4G football pitch which is floodlight and has minimal houses overlooking any part of the park.

"When enquiries have been made in relation to letting this we have been told that no bookings are being taken at the moment.

"On the last occasion we enquired about this facility we were told that no planning permission exists for community use out of hours.

"I am astonished that this facility still isn’t being utilised and made available to local community groups who are working hard on a voluntary basis with so little support from the local council."

He added: "I sincerely hope the council haven’t made the same mistake they have previously with Dumbarton Academy, a floodlight football park which cannot be used due to issues with local residents, and are paying for a facility which cannot be used by the people who elect them.

"And, if it is true that it cannot be used due to planning issues, our elected officials are so incompetent as to allow public money to be wasted on facilities and items which cannot be used by the community, what hope do we have for the way they run the rest of our services."

West Dunbartonshire Council responded to the issue this week and a spokesperson said the pitch was "not designed for community use."

She said: "We have 25 pitches available for let across West Dunbartonshire and all current booking requests can be accommodated.

"Renton Craigandro regularly use the pitches at Wylie Park but we also have all-weather surfaces available including at Vale of Leven Academy, Argyll Park and East End Park and would encourage Mr McIntyre to get in touch with our Greenspace team to book these.

"We have invested significantly in sports pitches over the last few years and have committed to further developments.

"Although the pitches at the new Bellsmyre campus have not been designed for community use, the new Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School under construction in Bellsmyre includes a floodlit all-weather sports pitch for football and hockey and three outdoors games courts.

"All of these facilities will be available for community use."

See page 3 for coverage of the official opening of the new campus, which took place last week.