A football club’s plans to build an all-weather pitch on a green space have been rejected by councillors.

Essex side FC Clacton were hoping to install an artificial grass pitch on land owned by Tendring Council, next to the club’s stadium at Rush Green Rec.

Councilors unanimously rejected the plans at a meeting on Tuesday over fears they would lead to the loss of protected open space.

In a social media post, FC Clacton said it was “bitterly disappointed” by the decision.

“We will consider our options carefully (and) will probably have to seek legal advice,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, club president Steven Andrews said the negative aspects of the project were outweighed by the potential for “good for the community”.

He told councilors: “We cannot deny that we are encroaching on a park.

“But it’s a relatively small area and it’s more than offset by the community good the facility will bring to literally hundreds of users each week.”

The proposals included a 4.5 m (15 ft) fence with gardens around the field and four 12 m (39 ft) floodlights, the Local Democracy Reporting Service saying.

A report from council planners. He said the pitch would be a “harmful protuberance” in open space.

Maurice Alexander, one of the councilors present at the meeting, stated that the decision was “very difficult”, with arguments from both sides.

“One, that it would be used by the community as a whole, assuming they could afford it.

“The other is that we have created these policies to protect ourselves and conserve these places.”

Council planning committee chair Maria Fowler said: “The all-weather pitches are wonderful and would certainly have been a well-used facility.”

“But this would have prevented the general public from using what is an open public space.”