HIGHWORTH Town chairman Rohan Haines is hopeful that they will soon be able to begin work to upgrade The Elms to Southern League standard.

Following a positive meeting with Highworth Town Council, the Hellenic League side will now submit plans to Swindon Borough Council to improve the facilities at the club.

The £80,000 project will see the Worthians look to install a turnstile, update their changing rooms, create a new community room at the club and a new fence to ensure that the ground is fully enclosed during the football season.

Highworth, who won the Hellenic League in 2005, finished sixth in the Premier Division this term in Jeff Roberts’ first year in charge.

With Roberts already putting plans together for next season’s squad, Haines and the rest of the Highworth committee are now looking at getting planning approval to get work started.

“The meeting with (Highworth Town) council went well,” said chairman Haines. “We are now looking at submitting plans to Swindon Borough Council.

“If we can get the okay from the Borough Council we might able to get work start by the end of June.

“All being well we could get the work done by the end of next season.

“With Jeff already putting his plans together for next season we could have a squad and a ground that is ready for the Southern League.”

Haines said that the club have been working with the Wiltshire FA as they look to put in an application to the Football Foundation for a grant to fund part of the improvements.

“We are looking at an £80,000 project,” Haines said. “We are in the process of putting in an application to the Football Foundation.

“But you also have to fund a percentage of it yourselves and we have been fund-raising throughout the past season.

“You need 150 seats for the Southern League and we have already got that.

“It is a case of just doing the other bits.

“We have already done the work on the pitch for next season so it will be ready for our annual six-a-tournament.

“We have looked at levelling the pitch, but that will cost about £5,000 and we would have to play somewhere for most of the season to get it done.”