PETERSFIELD town councillors have been urged to set aside funds for sport if they get an estimated £3 million windfall from the sale of Penns Field.

The town council-owned land has been earmarked for homes in the latest draft of the local plan and if it is sold to developers the town council could find itself richer by several million pounds.

On Monday at the town council's annual meeting prominent town sportsman Andy Owen asked town councillors: "If the sale is successful how much of the money will you set aside for sports?"

Mr Owen, who is President of the Petersfield Hockey Club, also asked the town council if it would set aside funds to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in ten years' time.

And he added: "In a few years after that the lake will require dredging again. Can I ask if the council would consider setting aside a certain amount of money each year to save towards these events?"

Mr Owen claimed there was inadequate support in Petersfield for the top five team sports played until the age of 16 in schools.

"If we take the top five team sports we would find that in cricket, practice nets are not allowed on the Heath as they are classed as a permanent structure," he told councillors.

"In youth football the town juniors used to have an old sports pavilion - now they have half a new one, and for senior football, effectively the town council now hires out the goalposts - there are no nets, no pitch markings and no changing rooms."

As far as tennis was concerned, Mr Owen told the meeting: "Training of the new stars of the future can only be done if the courts are free at the time of training."

There was no netball court in Petersfield and no hockey league pitch, he added.

And Mr Owen claimed that the problems facing Petersfield Rugby Club were well-known.

The provision of an artifica pitch in Petersfield has long been close to the hearts of many sportsmen and women in the town.

On Monday Mr Owen asked why plans for an artificial pitch did not go ahead in the town when they were discussed five years ago.

And he also inquired if the council would be prepared to reconsider the site at Penns Place or one very close to it for further geotechnical testing for such a pitch.

Town Mayor Ken Hick told Mr Owen that councillors would reply to his questions once the council had had time to consider them.