Toft Cricket Club submits plan for new pavilion

The club has more than 400 members and is seeking approval to demolish the pavilion on Chelford Road and construct a new building for club and community use.

The club said the current building was dilapidated, its facilities were no longer fit for purpose and there was a need for more space to cater for the growing demand for cricket.

Planning approval for the pavilion, which would be almost twice the size of the current one, is being sought from Cheshire East Council, and the club hopes to complete the new pavilion by its 100th anniversary in 2028.

Toft CC was established in 1928, and the main function room and bar area in the current pavilion were built in the 1940s, with the existing changing room and toilet block added later.

A report with the application said: “The current building is dilapidated and in need of serious structural and fabric updating and refurbishment to provide a comfortable and safe environment for club members and the community for years to come.

“However, the facilities the existing building provides are no longer fit for purpose and don’t provide a sustainable future for the club.

“The decision was therefore taken to seek permission, and funding, to build a replacement facility the club could be proud of, and which would provide high quality accommodation for club and community, into the future.”

The proposed new pavilion would include changing facilities for two teams and umpires and a function room to cater for 150 guests.

The room would include a players’ lounge, which could be sectioned off when private events were booked. The function room and changing facilities would be supported by a bar, back bar, kitchen, toilet, office, circulation and storage areas.

The annual running cost of the club is more than £100,000, which is raised through fundraising events and bar revenues.

The report said it was essential the function area was large enough to generate the income to support the club’s long-term financial security.

It added that the high standard of changing facility in the new pavilion would allow for applications for grants and funding from the ECB and national sporting associations.

It said: “The improved function, bar and kitchen area will further enhance the opportunities, as currently exploited with the existing facilities, to gain revenue from private functions and meetings.”

The report said a bigger pavilion was needed to ‘run an ambitious, growing, local cricket club in the 21st century’, and the size of the proposed function room was required for a club with more than 400 members.

The scheme includes work to the car park to allow for about 50 spaces.