The club are optimistic that the plans will satisfy planners

Original plans to build a new 2,500 seater rink to rehouse the city's Cardiff Devils ice hockey team were recommended for refusal.

But the cricket club has altered the proposals to try to satisfy council planners and heritage body Cadw.

Earlier plans angered local people who feared an increase in traffic.

There were also concerns raised about an encroachment on local parkland.

We are enormously optimistic about the plans. It is a big deal to the club and the city. It has huge advantages Paul Russell, Glamorgan Cricket Club

Glamorgan Cricket Club chairman, Paul Russell, told the BBC Wales news website that the club had worked with council planners and Cadw to redesign their proposals.

"We have resubmitted the plans with an updated design to try to satisfy the concerns of the council planners," he said.

"There were two major areas of concern - the protection of the sight lines for the listed parts and the alteration of the appearance of the building to be more sympathetic to the area.

"We are enormously optimistic about the plans. It is a big deal to the club and the city. It has huge advantages."

But he admitted that the plans are not likely to satisfy the concerns of people living nearby who objected to the earlier proposals.

"The residents concerns are they don't want any building there of any type," he said.

"But it is so high profile and we need to get it right. We've had a number of discussions with Cadw."

Alternative

An alternative temporary ice rink has been suggested for Cardiff Bay

In October, the club submitted its original plans to the council, but asked for the application to be "held over" after council planners recommended refusal following objections from heritage body Cadw.

The club hopes that the new plans will be considered by planners in January.

A new ice rink is needed in the city to house the Cardiff Devils, because they are being forced to give up their current city centre rink to make way for a �500m shopping complex.

As a stand-by, Cardiff Council is also drawing up plans for temporary rink to be built at the new International Sports Village to ensure that an alternative scheme is available should the Sophia Gardens scheme be rejected.

The existing Wales National Ice Rink will be demolished in 2006 to make way for the St David's 2 development.

The sports village proposal has been drawn up following objections to the plans for Sophia Gardens which could prevent construction taking place.

The council has said that they will consider the revised plans for Sophia Gardens but it has added that the sport village proposal will guarantee a temporary ice rink should Glamorgan's plans meet with further objections.

The council has said it will continue with other applications for ice rinks in the city to ensure a venue is ready by September next year.

But objectors to the cricket club's scheme have argued that other locations should be considered above the Sophia Gardens proposal.