The former home of the now defunct Rushden and Diamonds Football Club in Northamptonshire is to be demolished to make way for a mixed-use retail and leisure development.

The proposals, set to be officially unveiled later this month, include a new multi-use community football facility as well as a family leisure and entertainment zone. In addition, a cinema will be created in conjunction with a retail zone.

The Nene Park plans, by consultancy firm Rose Property Development on behalf of the consortium behind the site, would create up to 170 jobs.

East Northamptonshire District Council had said that any new plans for the site must contain a leisure facility.

A spokesman for the developer commented on the 6,500-seat stadium’s demolition, stating that it was not cost-effective to keep it, though elements of the stadium would be “conserved in a new setting.”

The now defunct Rushden and Diamonds was set up in 1992, climbing up to the third tier of English football during the 2003-2004 season. In 2005 the club’s owner Max Griggs quit for financial reasons, leading to the eventual collapse of the club, which folded in 2011 while playing at non-league level.

Following the demise of Rushden and Diamonds, Kettering Town moved into Nene Park for 18 months, but vacated the stadium after not being able to afford long-term upkeep.