Football club and play park get £330,000 funding

A football club and play park in north Devon are due upgrades worth more than £330,000 thanks to a pot of cash from developers, a council says.

North Devon Council has approved £314,000 for South Molton Football Club and £23,000 for Georgeham Parish Council's Croyde Play Park.

North Devon Council said the play park would have new equipment and safety surfacing, while the football club money would help build new sports pitches and clubhouse facilities at Limers Lane.

The developers funding the projects have secured planning permission for housing schemes in South Molton and Croyde.

South Molton Football Club, which currently operates from a single pitch site at Alswear Old Road, is due to relocate to Limers Lane as part of a £2.3m project.

Amid a growing population in the town, the council helped the club purchase the site at Limers Lane, providing an additional full-sized grass pitch and two pitches for juniors.

The council has already allocated more than £400,000 from its public open space funding from developers towards the project and councillors were told more would be needed in the future, possibly up to £1m in total.

The latest round of cash has come from developers building 172 properties in Nadder Lane, South Molton and 21 homes at The Old Tannary, South Molton.

A funding bid is also being made by the club to the Football Foundation for the maximum grant of £250,000.

Councillor David Worden (Lib Dem, South Molton) described the scheme as "very expensive but long-awaited".

Improvements to Croyde Play Park will include a wheelchair accessible roundabout and a swing set.

Developers' cash for securing planning permission for five homes on land adjacent to Solefield, in Croyde, is being used.

Georgeham Parish Council will fund £6,000 towards the project.

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