Changes to a well-used community hall are planned to make it more welcoming.

Hangstones Pavilion is owned by Yatton Parish Council and plays host to committee meetings, community groups and sports teams, with its pitches and grassland popular with clubs and visitors.

However, planning permission is being sought by the parish council to modernise it.

Parish clerk Aleana Baird is based at the pavilion, in Stowey Road, and said there are elements of the site which need to be improved.

She said: “The alterations are to upgrade the toilets because they were built in the 1970s, to provide disabled toilet facilities on the lower floor of the building and to provide a more obvious entrance to that part.

“At the moment the entrance is around the back so not so easy for people to find.

“The new entrance will enter a hall which will have added storage, which is something groups often want if they are a regular booking.

“There will also be a new small meeting room which will also be useful if we wish to talk to people on a private matter or in general its less distracting for others working in the office. It could also act as a rest room for outdoor staff in the winter if the hall is booked.

“The plan is to landscape that face of the building with a planting scheme to make it more attractive and welcoming.”

Other developments to improve Hangstones are underway, including the re-seeding of one of the football pitches. The work has been funded through community grants housing developers building in Yatton have had to pay.

With several housing estates in the pipeline, or under construction, the parish council and volunteers have drawn up a neighbourhood plan for Yatton. It illustrates what villagers would like to see protected in the future and areas of development they consider acceptable among other things.

The draft document was given the green light by an independent inspector and North Somerset Council’s executive earlier in the year, paving the way for a referendum. It will take place tomorrow (Thursday).

To comment on the Hangstones application, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/planning and search for application 19/P/0760/FUL