A Shipley firm of architects is playing a major part in Arsenal's dream of a new home - and helping the environment along the way.

The Premiership's leading team currently plays at Highbury in North London, but the club plans to move to a new site around a mile away in Islington.

The decision to build a stunning new stadium means buildings currently on the Ashburton Grove site have to be moved or demolished.

Islington Borough Council's municipal tip is situated on the site chosen by Arsenal and will have to go to make way for the new stadium.

Robinson Architects, which is part of the Robinson Design Group, has designed a revolutionary waste recycling centre for the Council which is being built on derelict land acquired from Railtrack.

Tony Mobbs, managing director of Robinson Architects, said: "The multi-million pound project has been very specialist work for us."

The new structure, which will be around a quarter of a mile away from the tip, is different from traditional refuse sites - as it is underground.

Mr Mobbs added: "We have had to take into account factors of waste management, such as the need for refuse trucks to be able move around the area."

A spokesman for Islington Borough Council said: "The existing municipal tip will stay open until the new site is completed in autumn 2003.

"The new state-of-the-art Waste Recycling Centre is underground, rather like a multi-storey car park.

"This means residents in the area will not face the traditional problems such as dust, noise and pollution.

"It will accept waste from various sources, whether it be residential or commercial, which will then be compacted, taken to land fill sites, burnt or reclaimed."

The Premiership side hopes to move into its new 60,000 capacity stadium in time for the start of the 2004/05 season.

Arsenal looked at a number of sites, including Wembley Stadium, but decided the Ashburton Grove site fitted the bill.

Lough Road, which will be home to the waste station, will also be redeveloped as part of the £250 million stadia project.

Islington councillor Bridget Fox, executive member for sustainability, added: "Work on the new hi-tech Waste Recycling Centre (WRC) at Lough Road is well underway.

"The high quality, fully undercover design of the WRC seeks to avoid the problems associated with old-style open-air sites - typically with dust and noise.

"Strict operating controls and measures will further serve to protect the amenity of the surrounding area."

Plans, which have not been finalised, may include housing around the waste site.

Because the structure is underground planners hope the ground above the waste station could become a community space.

The new waste site will serve Islington and parts of Hackney and Camden.