PLANS to transform an Eastleigh warehouse into the largest indoor football academy in the South are now set to take off after safety worries were kicked into touch.

The £500,000 soccer centre of excellence, which could produce future Michael Owens and David Beckhams, has been given a final thumbs up after a chequered passage through the planning process.

Planning officers had been ready to give the green light to the scheme by Kickers Indoor Sports Ltd to convert the warehouse on Barton Park Industrial Estate into a soccer showpiece with covered five-a-side pitches and a children's play area when they were forced to do a U-turn.

Government advice said part of the building was within Southampton Airport's public safety zone and there were worries about a plane crash resulting in a large-scale loss of life. A majority of councillors on the Eastleigh local area committee later accepted figures which showed even at busy times the soccer centre would house less people than when the warehouse was in full industrial use - and gave the go-ahead on the chairman's casting vote.

But continuing concern over public access to the soccer complex meant the matter was referred to Eastleigh's full council meeting for a final decision.

Councillors were told by Kickers' representative Kevin Marsh that it would be a high quality scheme and a "valuable amenity" to the people of Eastleigh.

Turning to the issues of public safety and access, he said: "At the moment it is a very dark and intimidating area. We will be floodlighting the whole of that area and also be monitoring it with CCTV. We also intend to create a couple of walkways."

Supporting the application, Hampshire Football Association's county development officer Alison Mahoney said: "Eastleigh borough has been identified by the FA as an area of deprivation for football facilities."

She added that Hampshire FA would work closely with the centre which would provide an excellent venue for coaching opportunities for young people and indoor football competitions at all levels.

Some councillors said they were still worried about pedestrian access to the complex and also about the loss of industrial premises which could provide jobs.

But planning permission for the scheme was granted by 26 votes to four subject to a string of conditions which included that use of the centre should cease after seven years and that the building should not be occupied by more than 130 people at any one time.