A fast-growing football club says it has outgrown its ageing facilities after councillors approved plans for a new clubhouse and community food pantry despite objections over the loss of green space.
Torridge District Council’s planning committee voted to approve proposals for a new single-storey clubhouse at Pollyfield Playing Fields in East-the-Water, Bideford. The development will include changing rooms, kitchen and toilet facilities, a social area and a base for the East-the-Water Community Pantry.
Planning documents show the building would be constructed on a small section of public open space next to an existing football pitch. Officers said the development would take up around 0.95 per cent of the wider green space and recommended approval.
Speaking at the meeting on Thursday, May 14, Shamwickshire Rovers FC chairman Sam Stevens said the club had expanded rapidly since reforming after the Covid pandemic.
Mr Stevens told councillors the club had grown from two adult teams and 10 members to 14 teams and around 250 members in five years. He said the club now runs five disability teams and seven youth sides, including what he described as the only disability football provision in North Devon.
He said: “The infrastructure has not grown with the club. We have got no female toilet, no disability toilets and only one male toilet and two urinals.”
Mr Stevens also said the club had worked with Devon Air Ambulance to create a night landing site at Pollyfield and had organised family holiday clubs and festivals.
The proposed building would also provide a permanent home for the East-the-Water Community Pantry, which Mr Stevens said supports between 50 and 60 families each week.
Project architect Mrs Fearnley Lott told councillors the current facilities were “no longer fit for purpose”.
She said: “This proposal is about supporting a rapidly growing community asset that serves hundreds of local residents each week.”
Mrs Lott said the building would provide accessible toilets, changing facilities, kitchen space and a covered viewing area for families and carers watching matches.
Planning officer Peter Stapley told the committee the site was located within Bideford’s development boundary and close to existing community facilities. He said the proposal would have a “relatively low impact” on the surrounding area.
Mr Stapley acknowledged objections had been raised over the loss of green space, parking and the impact on nearby residents. However, he said the loss of land was minimal and the benefits outweighed concerns.
Three objection letters were submitted during consultation, with residents raising concerns over overdevelopment, parking, wildlife impacts and the loss of open space.
During the meeting, councillors also discussed whether restrictions should be placed on opening hours because of the number of football teams expected to use the site.
Councillor Peter Hames questioned whether the building could include solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems, describing it as a “lost opportunity” if sustainable measures were not considered.
The council granted planning permission subject to conditions, including restrictions on construction hours and limits on external lighting to protect bats and other wildlife.
The approved building will measure about 21 metres wide by 10 metres deep and include a clubhouse social area, kitchen, storage space and toilet facilities.
Planning permission was formally granted by Torridge District Council on Friday, May 15.
