Liverpool City Council has given the green light to Liverpool Football Club’s proposal to build a 4.5 metre privacy screen at the club’s training ground to prevent rival clubs from snooping on the team’s tactics.

The club is now expected to press ahead with the development at its Melwood training ground after the council’s planning committee met last week to back the plans.

As part of the project, Liverpool will build a 4.5 metre retractable green privacy screen.

The screen, according to council papers, will sit on top of a fence post and curtain track and be connected to eight metre ball-stopping nets which the club previously installed.

The screen “would be closed during first team practice sessions for privacy.”

Once the squad had finished training, the screen will be retracted in order for standard maintenance work to be carried out on the pitch.

Council reports revealed that the development attracted several complaints from locals living around the training ground.

16 letters of objection were sent to the local authority, mainly citing the project’s “overbearing impact” and concerns over any future development diminishing property values as reasons for opposition.

The club has previously implemented an eight metre high ball-stopping net and three eight metre high ball-stopping fences after gaining planning permission from the council.

In all, 178 letters of notification were sent to surrounding residents informing them of the club’s intentions.

Liverpool FC was not available for comment.