A COMMUNITY sports association set up to take on control of playing fields and run-down changing facilities from Kirklees Council is to learn this week whether its bid has been successful.

East Bierley Community Sports Association was set up by members of the rugby and football teams that regularly use the village's playing fields for home games.

It hopes that the council, which manages the site, will grant it a long lease of the land and buildings at Hunsworth Lane, as well as provide them with a £175,000 loan to help them with their plans, in a community asset transfer.

It aims to build new changing facilities, a new access road and a new car park area, allowing four teams to use the site at once.

Teams which currently use it include Birkenshaw Blue Dogs rugby league club, and football clubs, Hunsworth AFC and East Bierley AFC, as well as Tiger Tots club which provides sport and recreational activities for under sevens.

The group has already secured £125,000 of funding from national organisations Sport England and The Football Stadia Improvement Fund towards the demolition of the two old changing facilities which are in a poor state.

A loan from the council will enable it to rebuild the changing facilities, but the council's cabinet portfolio holder, Councillor Graham Turner, is recommending that the term of the loan be 15 years rather than the 20 years the group has been budgeting for.

Secretary of the association, Simon Armitage, told the Telegraph & Argus: "Unfortunately, the facilities at the site and which are provided and owned by Kirklees just don’t meet the requirements of those who use them.

"So back in 2013, I and a number of other volunteers decided to do something about it. We formed an association and then set about raising some funds to improve the changing facilities."

He added: "The search for funding wasn’t plain sailing and we were knocked back various times but we persevered and finally had some success, but some of the funding is subject to planning conditions and a long term lease being agreed."

Of the key cabinet meeting tomorrow, Mr Armitage added: "The repayment period does raise some challenges, and we aim to attend the meeting to negotiate on this point if the decision is to support the asset transfer and loan option.

"Everything hinges on the decisions being made tomorrow."

The report states that if a community asset transfer is agreed without the loan the group will not be able to proceed with the building work and the state of the facilities means teams may seek alternatives.

It also adds that officers consider a loan period above ten years "increases the risk of the total loan value not being recovered in the future", however they do acknowledge that the viability of the whole proposal is dependent on a 20-year loan whether that is from the council or an alternative source.

The current cost of the running the site to the council is £7,500 a year, which relates to water and electricity within the changing facilities and pitch maintenance.

A decision will be made at the council's cabinet meeting which takes place at Huddersfield Town Hall, on March 24 from 4pm.