Lewisham Council has approved a £600,000 plan to construct new cricket pitches at two parks - Hilly Fields and Mayow Park - within the south-east London borough.

Local social enterprise Envirowork Lewisham is leading the ParkSport Lewisham project in partnership with the council and sports activity provider Teachsport, with funding already secured from the Big Lottery Fund and the London Marathon Charitable Trust. It is hoped that additional funding for the scheme can be obtained with the help of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which is in talks over the possibility of part-funding the construction of squares at both grounds.

Envirowork Lewisham project director Peter Ranken said: "[This project] will also allow local people to develop their sporting skills within the borough rather than having to go outside, giving them the opportunity to get involved with community cricket and football teams and become the sporting stars of the future."

Ross Walker, founder of Teachsport, the company which will act as the project's delivery arm for coaching, added: "Currently 80 per cent of the youngsters in Lewisham who play cricket have to travel outside of the borough to find adequate facilities.

"The establishment of the pitches at Hilly Fields and Mayow will change all that and they will act as a foundation for the future of grass root cricket in the area."