PLANNED upgrades to Frome Town’s football stadium won’t begin until the end of the year due to delays in securing external grants.

Frome Town Football Club plays its home games at the Badgers Hill stadium on Berkley Lane, and currently competes in the Southern League Premier Division South.

The club, known as The Robins, applied in June to provide new changing rooms and extend its existing clubhouse, with Somerset Council expected to grant planning permission by the end of September.

But the club has now revealed that work won’t begin until December at the earliest due to delays in securing funding from the government’s community ownership fund and the Football Foundation.

A written update on the proposals was published before a meeting of Frome Town Council being held on Wednesday, August 7.

Peter Wheelhouse, the town council’s economic development and regeneration manager, said: “The target date for completing the repair and improvement project has now moved to the end of December 2024.

“This is due to delays in securing the draw down of funding from the community ownership fund and Football Foundation.

“In response to these delays, it has been necessary to revise plans for the replacement of the changing rooms and first aid facilities to enable the football club to make use of the existing changing rooms during the early part of the forthcoming 2024/25 football season.

“Following consultation with the club and the town council’s project team, the Frome Town Community Benefit Society (CBS) has decided that the new facilities will be located alongside the clubhouse.

“Other options were considered including a site close to the main vehicular entrance. But the selected option is considered to be most cost effective as it has the smallest footprint and will tie in with repairs to the clubhouse.

“The new changing room and first aid block will also enable easy access to the clubhouse by players and officials, and will improve the appearance of the clubhouse as it will see the removal of the old turnstiles and Elliott building in this location.”

The town council’s planning committee gave its views on the changing room planning application on Thursday, August 8. Somerset Council will make a final decision by the end of September.

Further updates on the project will be provided to the town council on a monthly basis and will be made public as part of full council agenda papers.