A FOOTBALL club's plan to raise money by renting the top of a floodlighting tower to a mobile phone company is being blocked by the owner of its ground.

A FOOTBALL club's plan to raise money by renting the top of a floodlighting tower to a mobile phone company is being blocked by the owner of its ground.

Hadleigh United FC was hoping to generate about £4,000 extra a year after Orange Personal Communications offered to replace one of the floodlighting towers at the Layham Road ground with a monopole seven metres taller.

Under the deal, the club's floodlights would be attached to the pole with the mobile phone firm putting its own antenna at the top and paying an annual rent for the privilege.

But the sports and recreation committee at Hadleigh Town Council, who lease the ground to the club, has suggested any rent from the tower should be payable to the authority as owner of the land.

At a recent meeting the committee suggested any money generated from such a scheme could be shared between the football club and other sporting facilities in the town.

But the council's planning committee has rejected an application from agents acting for Orange to put up the equipment after it received two letters and three phone calls of objection from local residents.

It has recommended to the planning authority, Babergh District Council, the application should be turned down because it is too close to local housing and has potential for environmental damage in a special landscape area.

Last week, acting in its capacity as landlord, the town council also refused permission for the pole and base station to be built on its land.

Hadleigh United chairman, John Chenery, said the club would have had no problem sharing the revenue from renting to Orange with other sports clubs in the town.

No one from Orange was available to comment.