THE historic home of St Helens' most successful amateur rugby league club is to be sold to housing developers.

Pilkington Recs' City Road playing fields are to be sold by glass giants Pilkington plc.

The amateurs, who dominated the game in the 70s and early 80s, are tenants of Pilkington subsidiary Ruskin Leisure.

Recs will be offered the chance to move to the company's Ruskin Drive sports complex which is to undergo a vast upgrade.

Pilkington says the timing of the changes will depend on the granting of planning permission, but Recs will be able to continue playing there in the meantime.

The intention is to build 400 homes at the 43-acre Windle City site.

The social club, two rugby pitches, car parking and a bowling green would be replaced with houses if the proposals get planning approval. One bowling green would remain as plans stand at present.

At Ruskin Drive there are plans to build a floodlit, synthetic training area, a new changing block, an additional rugby pitch on the north side of the cricket oval, parking and floodlit tennis courts.

Recs officials were due to meet Ruskin chiefs to discuss the proposals this week.

City Road has been the club's home for more than 50 years, and was used in the early part of the 20th century by semi-professional St Helens Recs.

Ralph Rawsthorne, Pilks Recs chairman, said: "It is upsetting that having embraced rugby league on that site for so many years it (Pilkington) now sees fit to dispose of it for commercial gain.

"I've met with management of Ruskin Leisure but the company itself (Pilkington) have not once discussed with me what we would like. They have not asked what impact this will have on youth development or sport in the area."

Recs have more than 250 players on their books, who play for two adult teams and 13 junior teams. Teams with players aged from under seven to under 14s play on Liverpool St Helens' Moss Lane pitches as City Road is not large enough.

It is not thought the Ruskin site would be big enough for all the teams to be based there.

A Pilkington spokesman did not give a sum for how much would be invested at Ruskin Drive, choosing to describe the improvements as "considerable".

However, such investment is likely to be dwarfed by the funds generated from the sale of City Road. The glass giant's spokesman also confirmed the upgrade of Ruskin is required if the company is to avoid opposition from Sport England.

The organisation would object to a community losing playing fields unless sports pitches are replaced nearby with others of equivalent or better size and quality.

Rob Gerrard, managing director of Ruskin Leisure, blamed a "significant decline in membership and a major shift in the social activities of members" as the reason to axe Windle City.

He said the Ruskin redevelopment will "considerably enhance sports provision in St Helens and consolidate its position as one of the leading sports sites in the north west".