A NEW £20,000 sports facility could soon be built in Burnham. Burnbridge Wanderers Junior Football Club has applied for planning permission to turn a field into a new ground for the club. The proposal, which was sent to Sedgemoor District Council in May,

A NEW £20,000 sports facility could soon be built in Burnham. Burnbridge Wanderers Junior Football Club has applied for planning permission to turn a field into a new ground for the club.The proposal, which was sent to Sedgemoor District Council in May, is to change a former agricultural site in Stoddens Lane into a new training ground, complete with changing rooms, storage for sports equipment, football pitches and car parking. Coach Mark Berry, who put the planning application together, said: "We really need to expand, because we are getting to the point where we cannot take new members on. "We have a nearby ground in Stoddens Lane and two teams who practice at West Huntspill. The new ground we are proposing would mean all the teams would train in the same facility."The football club currently has over 180 young members, 12 volunteer coaches and 12 assistant coaches. The club was formed in 1991 and has teams in two leagues, the North Somerset League and the Woodspring League. To help fund the project, the club has managed to secure sponsorship from national and local businesses and recently raised over £1,200 at a bag-pack at Somerfield in the town.Mark said: "We will also be applying for grants from organisations such as the Football Association, but we are not allowed to do that until planning permission is granted. We have agreed if the proposal is accepted, we would sign a long-term lease from the landowners for five or 10 years."Club members are confident permission will be given, having collected 403 signatures from residents in the Stoddens Lane area supporting the scheme. Details of the proposal are available to view on www.sedgemoor.gov.uk and comments are welcomed until July 7.