DECISION-DAY is almost here for supporters and opponents of the multi-million pound Leigh Sports Village project.

We can reveal that plans for the £75m scheme will be discussed at a special meeting of Wigan Council's Planning Committee on Friday, April 16.

The Leigh Sports Development Partnership will, that day, be applying outline planning permission - the biggest hurdle the scheme has to overcome.

If outline permission is granted, planners indicate they agree with the project in principal and the Leigh Sports Development Partnership can then press ahead with a full application which will add detail to the scheme.

Granting of outline permission will then trigger an intensive re-consultation involving all interested parties so that the finer points can be thrashed out before a full application is submitted. If all goes according to schedule, work could start on the scheme at Pennington early in 2005.

The Leigh Sports Partnership will be submitting evidence to the planning committee in person. Two people will be allowed to speak for and two against the application. Putting the Partnership's case will be chairman Trevor Barton and Julie McKiernan, a lecturer at Leigh Sixth Form College.

The scheme was first drawn up as far back as 2001 and are to include a new Sixth Form College;10,000 capacity stadium for Leigh Centurions and Leigh RMI; state-of-the-art facilities for Leigh Harriers, a new HQ for Leigh East ARL Club as well as extensive leisure facilities and new housing.

Leigh MP Andy Burnham said: "We are reaching the moment of truth for the Leigh Sports Village. An enormous amount of work by so many committed people has gone into it and every effort has been made to listen and take on board legitimate concerns.

"I now urge the Leigh community to get behind it and work with us to deliver a first class facility for the future of our town."