Burnham-On-Sea’s BASC sports ground has been awarded £115,000 of grant funding towards a major refurbishment of its facilities.
As first covered by Burnham-On-Sea.com last November, the BASC ground has embarked on an ambitious project to refurbish its existing sports facilities and create new changing rooms, plus extra toilet and shower facilities at its Stoddens Road ground.
Neil McKen of the Burnham Association of Sports Clubs told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “These improvements are long overdue as the present changing room facilities have remained largely unchanged since the clubhouse was constructed in the late 1970s.”
“The project committee has estimated the cost of works to be approximately £160,000. Early recognition of the value of this project to the community came from local County Councillor Mike Facey last year when Somerset County Council was the first contributor with a grant of £10,000.”
The BASC also applied to Viridor Credits for a grant from the Landfill Communities Fund. Viridor is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to give benefits to communities within five to ten miles of Viridor’s landfill sites.
“We are delighted to announce that Viridor has also recognised the overall benefit to the community that this fantastic project will offer and has had no hesitation in awarding a grant of £115,000,” added Mr McKen.
“As a condition of receiving this grant, a funding partner had to be found and we are pleased to announce that Brean Leisure Park Limited, through its Managing Director Richard House, has agreed to be that partner.”
“However, there exists a ‘gap’ in the required funding and in order to complete all of the required work a further £35,000 is needed. So the project committee, with the strong support of the Burnham & Highbridge Town Council, has applied to Sedgemoor District Council (Parks & Open Spaces Department) for financial help.”
In particular, the committee is asking the council to cover the funding shortfall from its ‘RLT3 Contributions’. This money is collected by the council from housing developers, through the planning process, and is available specifically to help finance improvements in sports and leisure facilities located within the communities where new housing is provided.
The project committee is hoping to start the works as soon as planning approval can be secured, possibly towards the end of March.
“During this tough economic climate the further good news is that BASC intends to use local companies to carry out the work wherever possible.”
“BASC would like to take this opportunity to thank all the individuals and groups who have supported the project so far, including the local council through John Morgan, and King Alfred School, as well as all the individual sports clubs who use the BASC facilities.”
BASC is a not for profit organisation that owns over 32 acres of sports land, including clubhouse facilities, off Stoddens Road in Burnham.
Organisations as diverse as the British Legion and Burnham Harriers often use and benefit from the facilities in addition to the associated user clubs, Burnham Rugby Club, Burnham Cricket Club and the Burnham Company of Archers.
