SIR — As a lifelong local resident, taxpayer and father of a footballing son, I was interested to read the report in last week's Free Press outlining our town council's proposal to demolish the redundant football clubhouse and grandstand in Irnham Road.

This landmark has remained redundant for some time and is clearly a millstone around the council's neck.

Whilst demolition seems the most likely option with a commitment being made to replace it with a purpose-built facility, it is crucial that the town council learns lessons from the shambolic handling the district council made of the Aquasplash closure and subsequent demolition, where it relied on the apathy of the majority of the local electorate to get its way.

Indeed, any demolition needs to be combined simultaneously with a laying of foundations for the new building and a formal schedule of works.     

Youth football in Minehead is in excellent health with junior teams winning their respective leagues, competing at nationally supported tournaments, and with young footballers being selected for training with league academies.  All of this has been achieved with very little funding.

I am led to believe that funding is available from a number of channels including central covernment, the National Lottery, the FA and Sport England to support such developments, and it is vital that the town council works with these bodies to secure financial backing long before demolition of the existing structure takes place. 

At a time when national government is focusing its efforts on improving the health of the nation's children, the town council has a golden opportunity to cascade these ambitions at local level. 

In closing, I note from another report in last week's paper that the town council may look to recover costs from Dudley Seale if he acted without authority in instructing an architect to draw up plans for an extension to Alcombe playing fields pavilion. 

Whilst I have no view either way of Mr Seale, if his actions are going to set a precedent, would Cllrs Stokes and Lennon-Wood commit through this publication to personally pay back any costs for demolition if a superior development is not forthcoming and the town is left with yet another "building site"? 

Mathew Thresher,

Paganel Road,

Minehead.