DERBYSHIRE are to lay out 12 new pitches at the County Ground at what may be the start of the process to turn the square.

But the club are to keep their options open before taking a final decision over whether to turn the whole square as part of their plans to avoid the problem of the setting sun disrupting play.

It may still be that they opt to redevelop the city end of the ground so that the new buildings act as a screen to stop the sun holding up play At last night's committee meeting, a detailed business plan was called for to look into what form the redevelopment might take, how much it would cost and how it would be paid for.

Sun stopping play has been an embarrassment for Derbyshire, especially in day-night matches, because their pitches face east to west and so the sun sets directly behind the bowler's arm.

A large canvas screen mounted on a moveable cherry-picker platform was used this season as a temporary measure and was a success but a large building would certainly be more effective.

That could save the club the considerable expense and disruption of turning the square to face north to south. Because such a move would also mean relocating the scoreboard and the floodlights, the cost would be around £200,000.

In the meantime, Derbyshire are to keep their options open by laying the 12 new pitches, six on either side of the present square, at a cost of around £15,000.

It would take at least two years for those new pitches to be ready to play on, by which time they would have a clearer idea over whether redeveloping the city end is feasible and whether they actually need to go ahead with turning the square.

"We are still looking at the possibility of building at the city end but it makes sense to also begin the groundwork now just in case we do go ahead with turning the square," said chief executive Tom Sears.

"The new pitches would not be ready before 2010 at the earliest and so the sooner we start that process the better, just in case."

Head groundsman Neil Godrich is also to keep a close eye on the work which is currently being done on the playing surface at Lancashire's Old Trafford ground and is also taking advice from former Derbyshire player and coach Phil Russell.

Russell, now a highly respected groundsman in South Africa and recently a pitch consultant with the Indian Cricket League, was back in his native county last week.