£875,000 of CIL Funding secured towards the new Football & Community Pavilion project.
Sevenoaks Town Football Club and Sevenoaks Town Council are delighted that their partnership bid to the meeting of Sevenoaks District Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Fund last month for £787,500 towards the new proposed Football & Community Pavilion was successful.
As part of the funding application Sevenoaks Town Council committed a further £87,500 match funding, which now brings the total project funding to £1 million pounds.
This is a major boost towards Sevenoaks Town Football Club’s plans to redevelop Greatness Park facility both for the football club and the local community.
The project is to build a new football and community pavilion close to the current 3G pitch.
The current brick pavilion adjacent to the grass pitches will be released for future community use.
The land and buildings are owned by Sevenoaks Town Council and provided to Sevenoaks Town Football Club on a peppercorn lease who manage the facilities.
Sevenoaks Town Football Club Chairman Paul Lansdale said: “This is fantastic news and provides a real step forward in our aim to build a new clubhouse which will benefit the entire football community at Sevenoaks Town FC with the provision of new changing rooms, kitchen and refreshment areas, other facilities and a new 300-seater main stand.
It will also bring economic, social, and environmental benefits to our wider local community.
The award is the culmination of a two-stage vetting process which received high praise from the CIL board saying our plans ‘provide significant public benefit, represent good value for money and demonstrate appropriate use of our funds’.”
Paul added: “A special word of thanks goes to the following: Sevenoaks Town Council, Offset Architects, Sustainable Schools Project and the CIL board for supporting our plans. We would also like to thank the following for providing letters of support: the Kent FA, Football Foundation, Head in The Game (Mental Health) and Sevenoaks Samaritans.”
Cllr Claire Shea, Mayor of Sevenoaks said: The new pavilion at Greatness Pavilion has been a long-term ambition of Sevenoaks Town Council within the Sevenoaks Sports Strategy and the recently successful endorsed Neighbourhood Development Plan. The Town Council is delighted that this partnership CIL Bid with the Football Club was successful and will take the project on to the next level working together to secure the final funding needed. The Town Council have been consulting on and reviewing potential improvements for Greatness Recreation Ground in the future, and this project will be a key element of this.
The project also seeks to be environmentally friendly through the design which will incorporate a green roof and living wall.
The CIL report added: “There is no doubt the project will have a positive impact within the local community. A public consultation last summer resulted in 98% of respondents supporting the proposals. It will cope with the population growth that is planned for the area, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups and those in need.”
