SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: New pavilion dream gets ever closer to reality for Ilminster Town FC

ILMINSTER Town FC is “crying out” for a new pavilion and it looks increasingly likely as if the vision will come to reality.

The club has already secured the near £600,000 needed to build the new Gooch Pavilion and has permission to go-ahead with the project on Brittens Field.

Project officials have worked closely with Ilminster Town Council and councillors were last night (Tuesday, June 23, 2015) set to discuss and approve a lease agreement between the two parties which will see the council give ownership of the new building to the club on a long-term lease.

But the lease arrangement discussion was put on hold for a month when councillors deferred it until the next council meeting as they had only just received the paperwork and needed time to go through it closely.

But councillors did agree last night to accept an offer of £54,892 from Sport England to go towards the overall project cost of £588,636.

The football club has worked closely with the council in getting the one-time dream project of moving from its current site at Ilminster Recreation Ground over to the adjoining Brittens Field come to within touching distance of actually happening.

The town council was recently given an updated presentation by the club about the project to allow new councillors – following last month’s local elections – a better understanding.

PHOTO – TOP and RIGHT: Artist’s impressions of the planned pavilion on Britten’s Field in Ilminster.

“The idea of a new sports facility or football pavilion has been going on for years before some of you (councillors) were even living in the town and it has never had a better opportunity of happening then it does now,” said a club spokesman.

“If you were to look into the history of when or how previous projects failed it was always after a new town council was appointed, so please don’t let that happen again.

“Ilminster is crying out for a new pavilion and we have given you as a new town council the opportunity to do something very positive for the town.

“We as a club honestly believe this is something that will benefit the whole town not just the football club. We have worked with all the relevant bodies to ensure this project is viable and sustainable.”

The spokesman added: “We have secured £588,000 of funding and as anyone who has been involved in this process will know this is not an easy task to do and we are proud that we have secured this funding.

“With our new facility in place the amount of teams we have is likely to grow as we feel that our current facilities are holding back one of the biggest football clubs in South Somerset.

“We want a community feel to our club that we can be proud of and at present our facilities does not do our club justice.”

The new facilities will be managed by an executive committee of youth and senior football committee members, a representative of any long-term users of the facilities and a member of the town council.

Photos: Courtesy of Ilminster Town FC.

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