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Cardiff City have been given the go-ahead to build a state-of-the-art new training ground.

The move is something manager Neil Warnock and the Bluebirds hierarchy have wanted as they seek to take the club back into the Premier League.

Cardiff have been given planning permission to build a new two-storey football centre at their training ground opposite Hensol Villas at their Vale of Glamorgan HQ.

The new football centre would have treatment rooms, a sports science lab, gym, swimming pool, a drug-testing facility, changing rooms, media office and press rooms.

It comes after Cardiff were given permission to lay 15 new pitches - with terraces for spectators - in July last year.

The Bluebirds first applied for permission to build the new 44-acre training ground, which is based south-west of Junction 34 of the M4, after winning promotion to the Premier League in 2013.

Vale of Glamorgan Council's planning committee unanimously approved the plans for the new training centre this week.

(Image: Credit: Morgan Hayman)

The council received 14 letters opposing the plans, with concerns raised including an increase in traffic in the area, loss of agricultural land, noise and air pollution.

This planning application proposes a total of 103 parking spaces for players and staff.

A planning report says: "The building is considered necessary to support the range of uses required for the wider site as a training ground. As in the previous application, the use of the wider site would be complementary to those currently taking place within the neighbouring Hensol Resort, including the training facilities currently used by Cardiff City, Cardiff Blues and the Welsh Rugby Union.

"Furthermore, given the nature of the proposed building, to provide a high-level sporting club with a private training facility, it was accepted in the previous application that the use of the site would have to be supported by a club building and associated parking."

Warnock committed his future to Cardiff at the end of the season and intends to bring the club straight back up to the top flight.

"We’re well down the way to starting our new training complex, which is exciting I think," he has said.

“That’s what Burnley did when they got relegated – they signed a few good players, started on their new training ground and came straight back up."