Louth Town Football Club hopes to expand home ground facilities

Louth Town Football Club has applied to East Lindsey District Council for permission to expand its current Saltfleetby ground after what bosses described as a series of ‘broken promises’.

The proposals include new floodlighting, a female changing room, and three spectator stands for around 225 people.

The team had been hoping to move into a new ground in Louth itself after conditions on developer GBM’s plans to build housing on the former Park Avenue stadium included the requirement to provide replacement facilities.

However, after three applications by GBM to have the condition removed were rejected, ELDC’s executive took legal advice and withdrew the requirement.

Club chairman Stephen Clark said: “We have been in limbo for five years, promise after promise, it was just we had to look at we have got already and what can we do to make it better. We own it all so we said let’s just put it in and see how it goes. We have got what we’ve got lets take what we have got and run.”

However, he said the team would “never say never” to moving back to Louth.

He added: “If something comes up we’d definitely look at it because Louth is our base.”

It is hoped floodlights and other measures will put the team in the running to move up into higher leagues, including the FA Vase, as well as attract more new players.

Mr Clark said he hoped to get funding for the build from the Football Foundation, the FA and other local partners – including, he said, East Lindsey District Council.