SLOUGH TOWN FC chairman Steve Easterbrook has announced that a full planning application for the club's new stadium should be submitted to the Slough Borough Council on December 8.

The application includes the construction of a new community football stadium with a capacity of up to 3,000 and a residential development area at the former Arbour Vale School site on Farnham Road, Slough. The stadium would also include external pitches and a floodlight all-weather games area.

"We are in a position now where we're moving forward with a timetable and if everything goes according to plan the full application should go in on December 8," Easterbrook told the Observer exclusively.

"It becomes a bit difficult then because the council can take up to 13 weeks to agree the planning application or to say why they don't. Assuming within that 13 week period they give us the all clear we'll get on with it." If the application is approved, the club plan to apply for a grant of £500,000 to me made to Football Association, Sport England and other relevant bodies to help with the financial costs of the new site.

Easterbrook is confident the application will be accepted and admitted he would be delighted to see building work begin.

He continued: "I'd like to think after four years of working so closely with the council in respect of bringing us back to Slough that this time around we will get there.

"For the beginning of next season is too soon. We are looking at 18 months from where we are today, more like December next year when perhaps a ground can be finished. But, I will be happy to just see the first brick laid." The Rebels chairman also insisted the change of location would be massive for the town and its youth football set-up.

"This will mean that there will be a football club within the borough which is great for everybody within Slough.

"It also means the club can start to rebuild youth football which we have already started to do with 13 new teams.

"I anticipate that next year it that'll grow again to 15 and if we were back in Slough that may grow to 18-20.

"Anything we can do in association with all the other clubs that are within Slough that can offer youth football is fantastic." Easterbrook hopes to be in a position to present the application to fans of the club some time next month adding, "Plans are being drawn up all the time and we're firming up on the specification of the ground.

"Sometime in October there will be a time for people to come and see the plans, talk about them, see what it is going to look like and ask questions."