A councillor has vowed a community football club will not be lost “on her watch” after its stadium was suggested for development.

Three Rivers District Council leader Cllr Sara Bedford called on Hertfordshire County Council to withdraw its suggestion to build 140 to 185 homes on land used by South Oxhey Jets football club.

Part of the former Sir James Altham School site, in Altham Way, is currently home to the SJA leisure centre and an artificial football pitch, as well as the Jets’ Boundary Stadium.

The county council, which is the landowner, proposed using the land for housing in a call for sites for the district council’s local plan.

“The lease on the site expires in 2025, and the county council are refusing to renew the lease”, Cllr Bedford said.

“The local plan isn’t just about identifying land for housing. We also need to identify land for employment, retail and leisure uses across the district. This site has been in use for leisure and community activities for many years and serves residents of South Oxhey very well. I can see no reason why that should change, and I shall press for this to be the case in the new Three Rivers local plan.

“In addition, Oxhey Jets is the most senior football club in Three Rivers. As someone who has been involved with football all my life, and grassroots football since my early teens, there is no way that a community club will be lost on my watch without a fight.

“I am therefore calling on the Conservative-run county council to withdraw this site from their plans for housing development and allow Oxhey Jets to remain on the site for as long as they continue to serve the community.”

“I will do everything I can to support John Elliott and the club in that aim.”

Jets founder John Elliott said: “It’s got the club very nervous and my phone has gone into meltdown because it has got the estate worried.”

He added: “I’ve had an honest and open discussion with Sara regarding the future of Oxhey Jets. It’s good to know that she understands the important place that the Jets have in South Oxhey and that she is prepared to fight to keep the club here at the heart of the community.”

A Hertfordshire County Council spokesman said: “It is Three Rivers District Council’s responsibility, as the local planning authority, to produce a plan for its area. We are routinely asked as landowners if we have any land that could meet the local planning authority’s needs. We then provide a list of assets that are not currently in use for county services. The local planning authority will then consider if these sites are needed for their plan and future growth needs.

“The site of the Sir James Altham Sports Facility is leased by the County Council to the District Council until 2025 and Oxhey Jets have a sub-lease from the District Council. In these circumstances the district council has control of all matters and is able to decide whether or not there is a need to release the sports facility to meet the growth needs of its area. If it does allocate it for development, the District Council will need to ensure that replacement facilities are available for use before the existing premises are taken out of use.”