Plans to tear down an ancient flint wall to improve access to a football club have been rejected outright by a council.

Lewes District Council's community services unit wanted to demolish part of a boundary wall fronting Ham Lane, Lewes, as the crumbling wall was deemed unsafe.

Lewes Football Club's adjoining football ground was to benefit from improved access if the plans went ahead.

But planning officers were against the move because conservationists and historians believe the wall traces the perimeter of an old priory and is of historical and archaeological importance. At a planning meeting on Wednesday, the plans were rejected by a majority of ten to three.

The proposal involved knocking down part of the wall and building a replacement, which would consist of a concrete core and flint face but would be lower than before.

The planning application said the wall is "in a very poor state of repair, with sections in imminent danger of collapse".

It would have had vehicle and pedestrian openings as well as room for a new turnstile into Lewes FC's Dripping Pan ground. The football club said it could not maintain its Conference South league status without the changes.

Neighbours have spoken out against tearing down part of Lewes' historic heritage.

Lewes Buildings Preservation Trust said the proposal would destroy much of what is a most important part of Lewes's historic heritage and that a careful proposal for an alternative proposal had not been given a fair hearing.

English Heritage said: "Flint walls, such as the one at Ham Lane, are an important contributor to the character of the town.

"The application will have a detrimental effect of considerable scale on both the Ham Lane wall itself and the eastern bank of the Dripping Pan and may reveal and subsequently destroy evidence of the garden earthworks and precinct wall."

Neighbourhood group Friends of Lewes said: "Observations show that this part of the wall to be in an equally sorry state, and while it may not be liable to collapse, sizeable pieces will continue to fall from it. It is our opinion that this part of the wall should be replaced as part of the proposed work.

"While we accept the reason for the large gateway we do not agree that an additional turnstile opening is appropriate.

Ham Lane is narrow and at times quite busy. Even a small crowd gathering at the proposed turnstile would be inconvenient and possibly dangerous."

But Lewes Football Club said: "Without works to this wall the Conference League would not allow Lewes Football Club to continue playing semi-professional football at the very highest level."

The wall has no registered owner and does not have listed status, so Lewes council said it was "seeking a solution for the benefit of the wider community".

A spokeswoman from Lewes District Council said: "The council put forward a proposal to put the wall right and also meet some of the needs of Lewes Football Club."

The council will shortly announce its next step.