Ashby Ivanhoe FC has announced ambitious plans to extend its Lower Packington Road site to include new sport pitches and a larger parking area.

The site to the rear of the club's bar and changing area will extend the club's current home to the south of Ashby.

A planning application has been made to North West Leicestershire District Council to carry out the work.

Full details of the project have been given in a Planning, Design and Access Statement, compiled by KC Planning & Development.

It reads: "The development would provide enhanced facilities for the football club and much-needed parking provision resolving problematic on-street parking nearby.

"The development is immediately adjacent to an existing facility and would enable growth and investment in this popular community sports and social hub.

"A key objective of planning is to assist in the delivery of high quality sports facilities that are available to the whole community and engender healthy active lifestyles.

"This proposal meets these fundamental aims, supporting the positive wellbeing of the existing and growing population of Ashby and surrounding area.

"There would be minimal physical development on the site, this would be restricted to a post and rail fence between the pitch and parking, and the gravelling of the new car park.

A plan of the site shows the proposed added facilities.

"Access to the site would be improved with correct visibility splays ensuring a safer entrance and exit.

"The new car park will significantly change the operation of the club with safe onsite parking for players, parents and visitors, removing the current on-street parking problems and alleviating concerns from nearby residents.

"The overspill area allows flexibility for occasional large events but will remain as a grassed area.

"By providing more space to meet the demands of the club on site, sports pitches and recreation areas in Ashby will be free for other clubs and the wider community to use, easing pressure on these important local resources."

The document explains how the club will be adding more facilities to the site.

It says: "The new pitches would include:

• Two five a side pitches suitable for under 7s and under 8s

• One seven a side pitch suitable for Under 9s, 10s and 11s

• One nine a side pitch for Under 11s – 14s

"The additional space will not only allow the club to operate from one site, but also avoids over-use and degradation of the pitches through rotation of use and having designated training and match pitches.

The site behind the main club building is set to extend the current facilities

"The safety of the existing access would be improved with a section of hedgerow removed to the east and existing fencing realigned to the west.

"Car parking provision on site would be increased, with an additional 100 spaces on a permanent gravel area and an internal access linking through to the current car park.

"This with the existing 50 spaces would be sufficient for the training and match days. The adjacent grassed area would be available for temporary overspill parking use on occasions when the club has tournaments or larger events."

The report also addresses the current traffic and parking problems in the area.

It adds: "Access into the current football club off Lower Packington Road has limited visibility, which is worsened by on-street parking.

"The football club currently has 50 spaces in the existing car park. However, on training nights throughout the week and match days over the weekend, around 100 cars can be present.

"This causes excessive on-street parking and verge parking on Lower Packington Road, Cambrian Way and other nearby residential streets.

"Complaints have been raised to the club and temporary car parking has been located on the adjacent field (application site) when large events are planned.

"This does not however resolve the ongoing concerns of local residents and the club is keen to provide a long term solution to this matter through this proposed application."

The document also says that the club wants to make the most of a growing town with new homes about to constructed.

It adds: "Ashby de la Zouch is a town which has seen considerable expansion in the past years and is due to grow further with the major urban extension at Moneyhill delivering 1400 more homes.

:With this increase in population, facilities in the town have experienced a significant increase in demand, including leisure and recreational uses.

"Ashby Ivanhoe Football Club (AIFC) is one of the town's historic sporting facilities that has grown considerably in recent years and is now in a position where expansion of the site is required to meet the increased demand and consolidate activities on one site.

"AIFC is a large football club with over 300 members ranging from under-fives to adult teams.

"Training sessions are held throughout the week, with matches on Tuesday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

"The club runs a soccer school, a development team and hosts a series of football programmes during school holidays.

"Saturdays are extremely busy with children's sessions starting at 9am and events running through to the afternoon/evening.

"Whilst the training and match times are staggered, there is always a cross over and members often stay to socialise in the clubhouse.

"There are regularly 200 players, parents and visitors, generating 100 - 150 cars during the busiest days.

"The number of players and teams has led to the club needing to use additional training pitches off site at Hood Park, Ivanhoe College and Ashby School.

"This is an unsustainable position for a number of reasons, it does not keep the players in one location and causes confusion with both players and visitors when matches have to be played elsewhere.

"Where events are off site fewer members and visitors use the clubhouse facilities and engage with the social activities, leading to less cohesion.

The entrance to Ashby Ivanhoe FC. Photo: Instantstreetview.com

"Moreover, using other facilities in the town prevents use by other football and sports clubs, at a time where there is immense pressure on these limited facilities.

"Ashby Town Council has approached AIFC expressing its concern that recreation sites and parks in the town should be available to all parts of the community for more informal activities, rather than constant organised sports usage which pushes out other residents who may wish to use these spaces informally.

"This underlines the pressure on existing recreation and sports facilities in the town and the resulting need for expansion

"AIFC are fortunate to have secured the use of the land adjacent to the existing site to allow for expansion."

Ashby Ivanhoe chairman David Morris has also written a letter of support to the District Council.

It reads: "I have been involved with Ashby Ivanhoe Football Club for over 42 years and can honestly say this is the most exciting time in our history.

"We have the best first team we have ever had and are pushing for promotion. Our Reserves (Knights) are second in their league, we have a vibrant and expanding boys youth section of 27 teams.

"And off the back of a boom in girls' football we have four girls teams too.

"Together with a Saturday morning Soccer School for Under 7s, we currently provide weekly football for over 450+ people and have additional teams applying to join us for next season already.

"We are run by many committed volunteers who dedicate hours of their time each week.

"The atmosphere around the club is truly inspiring and everything that is good about sport at a local level.

"However, expansion at the pace with which we are enjoying is not without its challenges - space being one, and we simply do not have enough grass to accommodate all we want to achieve.

"Each week we have many of our teams playing at central venues, i.e. not in Ashby or at the club itself.

"The utilisation of the adjacent field will allow those boys, girls and parents to play and watch their football in their home town and at their home club.

"Also we are aware of the shortage of grass pitches available in the wider town, and again many of our teams play on the facilities at Western Park, Hood Park or Ivanhoe School.

"If some or all of those teams were able to play at our own facilities, then that would free up those spaces for other clubs or free the parks for alternative use.

"Finally we are acutely aware that we have at times tested the patience of our neighbours on the local estates with parking issues on matchdays.

"With this in mind the change of use will address that and alleviate the issues with the extension of our own on-site parking."