Two thriving sports clubs in Braintree could be forced to relocate under draft proposals which set out the future development of the district.

Braintree BMX Club and Sporting 77 football club are both located off Panfield Lane which has been put forward by Braintree Council as an area for major growth as part of the local development framework up to 2025.

If the proposals are eventually adopted it could mean 500 new homes and the potential relocation of Braintree Town Football Club and Braintree College at the site.

This places a question mark over the future of the biggest BMX club in the country as well as a football club which has just achieved Football Association quality status - both situated in land owned by the council.

Julie Watts, secretary of the Braintree BMX Club, said they needed the council to guarantee their security.

She said: “What we need from them is a guaranteed time we can stay where we are and if and when we have to move they will provide us with something of an equally high standard if not better and somewhere within the vicinity of the town as we are a community club.”

Dennis Spurling, chairman of Sporting 77, said: “We are just getting on our own two feet and have become Charter Standard, so we need to find out where we go from here.”

At last week’s Braintree Council local development framework panel meeting councillors agreed it was “vital” to keep the sports facilities.

The local development framework proposals will go to consultation and then have to be agreed by the Government.