The Frome Collegians football club have submitted a planning application for the provision of visitor toilets and servery facilities, adjacent to their football pitch at the Old Showfield. The facilities are needed in order to comply with Football Association Ground Grading requirements for the level of football the senior team play at (the Wiltshire Senior League). The building will be a single storey, 6m long by 2m wide with brick walls and a tile roof, and will provide a gents toilet, a ladies / disabled toilet, and a small kitchen with a hatch to serve drinks and food to spectators. The building is proposed at the raised area of amenity grass between the Collegians football pitch and the perimeter footpath, on owned by Frome Collegians FC which is leased from Frome Town Council.

The building will be powered by a solar electricity system with solar panels on the roof, and served with a water supply. Surface water drainage would be managed with a gravel soakaway. The toilets could be made available for other sporting events, such as the Frome Parkrun. The planning application documents can be viewed here.

Update, February 2022:

In February, the application was updated to include a full connection to the mains sewer system, instead of a septic tank. The change was made to respond to Frome Town Council, who required a mains connection. There are currently three objections to the proposals, from the FROGS and Frome Civic Society and one other local resident. Sport England raised no objections. FTC did not object to the application, but expressed concern about the location and visibility. If it is granted planning permission, permission would also be required from FTC as landowner, and FTC have said that their decision would be made after a community engagement exercise at the Old Showfield.

My current response as one of your ward councillors is ‘Currently I have no objections to these low key proposals to enhance the use of an existing sports facility used by a local community club, and am happy for it to be determined under delegated powers. …’ Please let me know what you think. The local consultation deadline was 20th January 2022 but responses should still be accepted.

Update, October 2022: I have heard from Frome Collegians that they have withdrawn the planning application, and will revert to temporary arrangements for matchdays that do not require a permanent building on site.

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