ILMINSTER Cricket Club’s pavilion could be revamped in a bid to improve facilities and offer disabled access to the building.

The pavilion was built in the 1920s to be used by members of Ilminster Grammar School.

It was then extended in the 1980s after a donation by members but, other than some minor repair work, it has not seen any major renovations since then.

In a presentation to Ilminster Town Council, architect Ian Pamplin said renovations would make the pavilion fit for purpose.

Work would include:

  • Removing asbestos from the ceilings
  • Increasing the kitchen size by moving it into the second team room
  • Knocking down the wall between the two tea rooms to provide one larger tea room
  • Replacing the store cupboard with a disabled toilet, to be accessed from the outside
  • Increasing the size of both home and away changing rooms by removing the corridor through the centre of the pavilion
  • Ramp alongside two sides of the pavilion to provide wheelchair access to the pavilion and disabled toilets
  • Grass Crete path and mains gas line from The Mead to the pavilio

Councillors were not asked to make a decision whether to support the plans or not at this stage but they did agree to pay for the planning applications as part of their open spaces review.

That agreement was based on the reasons that planning documents were complete, appropriate and relevant consultations had taken place before it was submitted.

The only concerns for councillors were in regard to the grasscrete path to ensure it would integrate with other paths that are planned.

The pavilion is used by the cricket club in the summer months and then by Saturday and Sunday league football sides throughout the winter.

Councillors voted in principle that they would be happy for a planning application to be submitted as it would be “of benefit to the football and cricket club” and part of their open spaces review.