Harrow Council was accused of “cutting corners” after it approved plans for new pitches at a sports centre despite concerns about a lack of information on parking.

Its planning committee approved the proposals for four new grass pitches and one artificial 3G pitch at Bannister Sports Centre, Uxbridge Road.

The plans were widely supported in principle, as they will provide updated facilities and promote active living in the borough.

But Conservative councillors sitting on the committee took issue with the fact that a full parking report was not available at this stage.

Cllr Stephen Greek said the committee was “being asked to sign a blank cheque” without seeing the parking mitigation and called for the application to be deferred until it was made available.

“We’re being asked to make a decision without all the information,” he said.

“You can’t just cut corners because of an external issue like funding, important though it is.

“I strongly do not think we should be pressured into rushing into a decision because of an unsatisfactory proposal that has been put in front of us.”

He added there will inevitably be problems with parking at the site, noting that the surrounding area is busy on event days and that Uxbridge Road has a “hazardous safety record”.

Council planning officers said they were “confident” that, in technical terms, parking requirements will be met.

They added that planning permission needed to be secured before September – when the case would be heard again if deferred – to ensure the council benefits from £400,000 worth of funding from the Football Association.

Cllr Bharat Thakker said he was still “uncomfortable” with the situation and that the committee should not be making a decision based on “opinions rather than facts”.

But Labour councillors on the committee said they trusted officers’ judgement and said it would be reckless to jeopardise any additional funding the scheme might receive.

The applicant, Scott Cranfield, agreed and said it was important to approve schemes which will benefit the local area in terms of healthy living.

He said: “We need to get kids out, get them active and fight back against iPhones and iPads.

“It’s very rare that opportunities like this come along – I wish this had been around when I was younger.”