KEIGHLEY Cricket Club plans to spruce up its pavilion and clubhouse with proceeds from the projected sale of land for business units.

The club is hoping for a cash windfall if the council approves a newly-submitted plan for eight units on a site adjoining the cricket field.

Developers have signed a deal with the cricket club to buy an unused triangle of the club’s land to supplement land they already own on Royd Way.

Club spokesman Nigel Allsop this week said: “Our pavilion and clubhouse need money spending on them to make them more welcoming and inviting for members, players and the local community.

“We’re planning to improve the pavilion toilets and provide disabled access. We need to revamp the buildings, but we need the money. We tried to raise money through sponsorship.

“Then we were approached about the sale of a small section of land. It’s a corner that is not used. It will give us the funds to renovate our pavilion and clubhouse.”

The club had originally intended to revamp the outside of its premises first, but has decided to wait until the planned widening of the adjacent Hard Ings Road is completed.

The application from Norwood Properties, through its agent Michael Ainsworth Design Partnership (MADP), details the provision of eight units and 39 parking spaces on a site totalling 2,775 square metres.

Mr Ainsworth said: “It’s a speculative development. We’ve been advised that these are the sort of units that are in demand. We have designed units of the right size to cover a broad range of uses.

Mr Ainsworth suggested uses such as a vehicle paint-spraying business or a Motorworld-style, and estimated around 30 jobs would be created once the units were filled.

Mr Ainsworth added: “Buying the cricket club land makes the site a more manageable shape.”

Access to the site, from Royd Ings which runs off Hard Ings Road, would be slightly repositioned to make best use of the site’s shape.

The cricket club is set to lose a slice of its land alongside Hard Ings Road to allow room for the widening project.

Club officials are currently in negotiation with Bradford Council over compensation for the loss of any land.

Work is due to start on the £9.7 million road improvement project soon after the next financial year begins in April.

The long-awaited scheme, which will see Hard Ings Road widened into a dual carriageway, is expected to take just over a year to complete.

The scheme, which has been subject to a number of delays during its development, will include additional traffic lights.

Bradford Council, which is leading the project, says there will be significant reductions in journey times this work is complete.