More than £500,000 of new facilities - including 38 acres of parkland - have been proposed for Thorpe St Andrew.

The sports hub, on the eastern side of the town, will feature a new football pitch, tennis courts and changing room block.

A further 38.31 acres of meadowland and tree belts has been handed over to the town council for it to manage.

The new facilities are all part a 600-home housing development at Brook Farm and Laurel Farm, north east of Dussindale Park.

And it will be funded through the Section 106 contributions, which are used to offset any negative impact from development.

Lothbury Property Trust, which received permission for the housing scheme in 2013, has set aside £540,000 for the improvements.

It will pay for:

? £235,000 changing room facility for two teams.

? £75,000 turf football pitch or 3G artificial pitch.

? £160,000 for tennis or multi-functional courts.

? £60,000 car park for 30 cars.

? £10,000 for improvements to lawn bowls facilities.

Ian Mackie, mayor of Thorpe St Andrew Town Council, said described it as an 'exciting initiative' for the community.

He said: 'We appreciate that there is going to be development in the area and we are doing all we can to secure a long-term open space for community use.

'We have agreed to take on the management of the amenity land and on that land we hope to have a whole range of sporting facilities.'

Lothbury Property Trust said it will also provide £29,275 in maintenance contributions for two locally-equipped play areas, and £16,575 for a multi-use games area.

The developer said construction of the new homes on the site is expected to begin in early 2018.

Adam Smith, fund manager and director of Lothbury, said: 'We are talking to Broadland District Council about the location of the sporting and recreational facilities as we are very keen to see them located close to our development, although benefitting residents from a wider area.

'We are also working with Broadland Council to bring forward the roundabout they would like to see onto Plumstead Road East, which will be the junction into our new link road.'