THE future of senior league football at Minehead's Irnham Road ground is hanging in the balance after council chiefs agreed to demolish the asbestos-ridden club facilities.

The town's football club was given the go ahead on Wednesday to finish the current season using the changing rooms, stand and small bar area, as well as fulfil its commitments in helping to host a nationwide youth football festival at the end of April.

But Minehead Town Council, which owns the ground, has said the club and the associated Minehead Youth Academy must vacate the buildings by May 3.

A fortnight later - after local elections which will see a new council in place - a further survey to determine the full extent of asbestos in the buildings will be undertaken.

And once the results are known, councillors have voted that demolition will follow "without delay".

The council has also accepted that it is neither practical or affordable to provide the club with the previously planned temporary buildings on the ground, ahead of a hoped-for new-build sports and community centre, for which funding has yet to be secured.

At its meeting this week, councillors accepted an offer from the football club and youth academy to fund temporary asbestos sealing work - at a cost of around £1,000 - to allow the continued use of the buildings until May.

But football chiefs will have to sign up to an undertaking that club members, guests and visitors only enter the allowed areas - any breach will result in the immediate and final closure of the entire complex.

Councillors rejected an eleventh hour plea from club general secretary John Batt to reconsider the cost of refurbishing the existing buildings, the future users of any new-build development and possible funding streams.

But their decision - which cannot be overturned for six months - throws a questionmark over the club's ability to remain in the Somerset County League Premier Division, whose rules demand that changing and social facilities must be available for games.

After the meeting Mr Batt admitted that the spectre of the club having nowhere to play its matches next season had to be faced.

But he said the organisation - which had been in existence since 1898 - was determined that football would continue in the town.

He said hopes would be pinned on persuading the new council to explore a range of options, including reconsidering the refurbishment, rather than demolition of the existing buildings.

"There are alternatives and we have to explore all of them. We have time over the next few months to try to resolve these issues and that is what we will be working towards."

The current stay of execution follows a meeting between the club and the council on January 12 at which the immediate closure of the buildings was put forward because of health and safety concerns and insurance cover.

The council was persuaded to re-think the shock option after hearing that the club would be unable to complete the season and would be likely to face financial penalties as a result.

Mr Batt said he did not believe the idea of having temporary facilities at the ground was "a dead duck".

However, councillors were told at Wednesday's meeting that discussions with local planning officers had led the council working group set up to look at the future redevelopment of the ground to conclude that planning approval would be unlikely, that any temporary accommodation would have to be disabled compliant and that, in any case, permissions could not be secured in time for the 2011/12 season.

The site of the existing buildings has now been declared a flood zone by the Environment Agency and planners are also understood to be concerned at the size of any temporary facilities.

Cllr Doug Ross said it would be up to the new council to decide the way forward with the new-build proposal.

But he said the current councillors had to "grasp the nettle" over demolition.

"We decided the only practical way forward was demolition even before we found out about the asbestos in the buildings - we should not delay and dilly dally any further."

Cllr Stan Taylor said he believed upgrading the existing buildings would be a cheaper alternative

to the new-build proposal, with the cost of the asbestos removal not known - although the council has received one quote for around £70,000.

Cllr David Sanders also warned that grants had all but dried up and it could be difficult securing funding for a new-build project.

But Cllr Jenny Lennon-Wood said it was untrue to suggest that grant aid would be unavailable.

She said she was disappointed that the temporary accommodation "had fallen off the agenda" but it was due to planning difficulties.

Cllr Lennon-Wood said that every month the council delayed demolition it was costing the authority £1,000.

"I have been working on this issue for nearly four years and the reality is that the existing building is not financially viable," she said.

Before councillors voted on the issue, Mr Batt told them that the club recognised the problems.

But he said: "We have a wonderful heritage of football at this ground - you are the custodians of that major heritage.

"All we are saying is let's work jointly to try to resolve these problems."