PART of a sports ground could be sold off for housing to help pay for a new state-of-the-art pavilion for two top clubs, it has been revealed.The idea is being examined by council bosses to provide part of the funding for the new complex to give Felixstowe and Walton United and Felixstowe Cricket Club modern facilities.

PART of a sports ground could be sold off for housing to help pay for a new state-of-the-art pavilion for two top clubs, it has been revealed.

The idea is being examined by council bosses to provide part of the funding for the new complex to give Felixstowe and Walton United and Felixstowe Cricket Club modern facilities.

The football club was recently promoted to the Ridgeons Premier League and is having to do some work to provide toilets and a new stand at its ground in Dellwood Avenue, Felixstowe, to meet the league's requirements.

Its long-term ambition is to provide first-class facilities for players and supporters and this could come about in a joint project with the cricket club.

The cricketers share the council-owned ground, but their pavilion - like the football club's - has seen better days and the upkeep is expensive.

The idea being looked at by the clubs and Suffolk Coastal council is to demolish both pavilions, and build a new one which would sit on the edge of the cricket area and football pitch, designed so it could be used by both sports with access from both sides, depending on the season.

The project is likely to cost upwards of £500,000 and to pay for at least some of the work, the area fronting Dellwood Avenue where the cricket pavilion currently stands could be sold for housing - probably three or four homes.

Some other funding would also need to be raised from various grant-giving organisations.

Football club chairman Tony Barnes said the project would provide excellent facilities for both the footballers and cricketers.

“It is a very exciting idea, although it is very much in the early stages and we are waiting to see how it progresses,” he said.

“It would provide us with all the facilities we would need for the future. The current pavilion has served us well for a long time and is a lovely old building, but it is dated and always needs work doing to it.

“The football club has large numbers of youngsters training here and we want to encourage them and their parents to become more involved with the club and having modern facilities will help attract people to come here and help the clubs to thrive.”

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