VILLAGERS in Williton will be asked for their views on plans to build a new pavilion on the village's Memorial Ground.

The proposed development - about 300 square metres in size and likely to cost in the region of £600,000 - would include unisex and disabled changing rooms, changing facilities for referees, a kitchen, toilets and a public area that could seat around 80 people.

But the scheme would also see improvements made to the access to the ground.

Three parking bays for disabled vehicles would be created, along with a footpath running from the Robert Street entrance, in front of the pavilion and along the north side of the ground to the Long Street path.

And a hardstanding would be created between the path and the war memorial as the base for a possible portable stage or bandstand.

The scheme has been drawn up by the trustees of the ground, who are also parish councillors.

Bill Vaughan, a member of a working group that has been looking at the development, said it was hoped to site the new building behind the doctors' surgery car park.

He said the design was loosely based on a similar development for which planning permission was approved in 1998 but never implemented.

"It is slightly larger than the previous proposal but it will not be a community hall - we are still looking for a site for that."

A long-running campaign for a new village hall in Williton took a new turn in recent months after the reins were handed over to the Memorial Ground trustees with a new charity set up to take it forward.

Those leading the previous campaign bought a site for the hoped-for development adjoining the children's play area but it remains landlocked, with vehicular access unlikely to be granted.

The previous proposal sparked controversy and led to the launch of a new organisation - the Friends of the Williton War Memorial Ground - who have historically been opposed to any development on the ground.

However, Mr Vaughan said talks had been held with the group and with the Royal British Legion on the new pavilion scheme.

He said the next stage of the project was to send out a questionnaire to gauge the reaction of villagers and also to see what facilities people wanted to see in both the proposed pavilion and on the ground itself.

"Williton has just one facility - the Memorial Ground," said Mr Vaughan.

"It has suffered from under-investment and we would like to see it used to a much greater extent.

"We want to know what activities people would like to see provided and how they would like to use the new building."

If the scheme goes ahead, the existing run-down changing rooms would largely be demolished, with just a small section retained for storage.

Organisers are hoping to secure funding from a range of sources, including the Football Foundation, Sport England and a community pot set up by energy company EDF to offset the impact of a proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.

A total of 1,100 copies of the questionnaire are set to be delivered by volunteers in mid-March, with responses collected by the end of the month.

The feedback will then help shape more detailed plans which will be drawn up by architects, hopefully in time for the parish assembly in mid-April.

Mr Vaughan said that if the scheme met with a positive response, it was hoped to apply for planning permission by May or June.

"This is not just about a new pavilion - it is also about improving the whole facility and environment," he said.