Former Football Clubhouse Repossessed and Converted into Soft Play Centre

A FOOTBALL team’s former clubhouse will be used as a soft play centre after the team was accused of breaching occupancy conditions. 
The pavilion was built with National Lottery funding and gifted to a council which let it to Thornwell FC. 
However the Gwent County League club, which had been based at the pavilion, was accused of breaching conditions on use of the building, leading to repossession, by Monmouthshire County Council,  in September 2024. 
Members of the authority’s planning committee were told the building, beside the Wales Coastal Path in Chepstow which runs alongside the football pitch, was only advertised commercially after no community groups expressed an interest occupying it. 
Planning officer Phil Thomas told the committee the family orientated play centre aimed at children up to 12-years-old would bring the building “back into pseudo community use”. 
Mr Thomas described the building “as effectively a hall” which he said was let to Thornwell FC. 
“The pitch will continue to be used by the football team. The hall was used as a clubhouse but it is no longer let to the football club for reasons I won’t go into.” 
Applicant Robert Harper had applied for proposed opening times of between 9am and 5pm but the committee agreed that could be extended to 7pm. 
The application had to be decided by the committee as though six comments in support of the change of use permission had been received there seven objections. 
Those included the change to a commercial use would result in the loss of a community asset as well as noise and disruption including parking. 
Mr Thomas said there is on site parking and on street parking is also available in the area. 
Conservative councillor for Devauden Rachel Buckler said: “I think this is going to be a very good addition to the local area.”  ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​