A £2m scheme to regenerate the Beveree stadium, which is the home to Hampton & Richmond Borough FC, by installing a 3G pitch and high-tech LED lights is set to go ahead.

The council planning committee has given unanimous backing for the scheme to put down the plastic pitch despite some objections from neighbours and concerns for the environment.

The adoption of the 3G pitch will allow the club to increase the use of the stadium for the first and youth teams, while also providing a base for women's football and community teams.

The Richmond Park FC women's team plays in the sixth tier of women's football in England, which is equivalent to Hampton & Richmond FC, who compete in the Vanarama National League South.

One of the new owners of the club, Stefano Petruzzo, told a council planning committee meeting, that moving to a 3G pitch will put an end to repeated cancellations because the pitch is waterlogged or too icy. Even in the summer, the ground can be so hard that games cannot go ahead.

He said: "For 100 years the club has played a very important part in the Hampton community, not only for the supporters but the community at large.

Our vision for the Beveree is that it continues doing that.

"Unfortunately, over the last few years it has been difficult to maintain that level of support for the community due to the availability of resources but also due to the grass pitch not being suitable to be used due to the weather.

"Our vision for the Beveree and the club is we want to be a platform at the service of the community in its widest sense."

He added: "At present many of our matches are being postponed due to weather, sometimes at the last minute, causing considerable harm to our supporters and the teams involved.

"Playing on a 3G surface is more conducive to sporting success which we all aspire to being the only competitive football club in the borough."

Mr Petruzzo said the aim of the new backers of the club, who include his brother Rafa, is to create a stadium that provides a legacy for the community, supporting a wide range of local teams, rather than to generate profits.

The Petruzzos have an extensive background in corporate transformation and growth with executive roles across banking, retail, fashion, sports, and technology.

Stefano spent six years as Strategy Director for Liverpool FC and has since used his skills and experience to help grassroots sports organisations across the world.

He said the plan at the Beveree is to lay the new plastic pitch and install the LED floodlights at the same time. These lights use less energy, cost less to run, and can be better directed to limit their impact on residents living the ground.

A volunteer youth team worker at the club said some children had missed many weeks of football during the winter because pitches were unplayable to the extent that some were really upset and even reduced to tears.

One local resident raised objections to the new pitch, arguing it would increase use of the stadium and nuisance for people living nearby.

He said: "Currently, on match and training days, floodlights shine on and through the front our house, which includes the bedrooms.

"The current noise levels are such that we can hear what is said on the pitch and in the stands and it is not always very pretty to hear.

He added: "There is no doubt that if this were to be approved, noise and light pollution levels would rise significantly impacting on our lives and well-being."

The ground sits in a conservation area and neighbours the Beveree Wildlife site. Some critics said artificial turf retains the temperature more than natural grass and is hazardous to small wildlife, while the current pitch was said to provide habitat for birds and insects, such as the stag beetles, hedgehogs and bats.

They also argued that a 3G pitch can create micro plastic pollution of the environment and waterways, while releasing harmful chemicals.

Despite these concerns, planning committee councillors gave unanimous backing to the scheme. This was based on seeking reassurances that as and when the plastic pitch is removed when it comes to end of its life, it will be done in as 'green' a way as possible.

Councillors said the installation of the new pitch would fit in with a borough strategy on improving access to sports facilities.

Cllr Penny Frost said: "I think if this pitch is going to widen the opportunity for less advantaged groups to play the sport … I think this is a splendid opportunity."

Committee chairman, Cllr Jonathan Cardy, said: "There is an unmet demand for women's and girl's football in the borough and this is an opportunity to increase the capacity to meet that demand."