A RUGBY club's bid to extend facilities that "no longer serve their purpose" has been approved.

Bradford Salem RFC submitted a planning application to extend its changing facilities at Shay Lane, Heaton, earlier this year.

Now the plans, which involve two small extensions to the building, have been approved by Bradford Council.

The club's application said: "Since the original changing facilities were constructed several years ago, the requirements of players, coaching and medical staff members have all increased considerably.

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"Far more equipment, both sporting and technical, has come to be expected, both on training days as well as match days.

"This is one of the prime reasons why the current changing rooms no longer serve their purpose as well as they should and need the addition space that the larger of the two extensions will provide.

"As well as the Rugby, the club has a thriving social side and this brings its own requirements for more storage space, which is why the secondary extension is proposed."

The site lies within the Green Belt, where developments are normally severely limited. But planning officers said improving sport or leisure facilities was one of the exceptions to normal Green Belt planning rules.