PLANS to build a new £6 million training HQ for Swindon Town FC in Highworth have hit another major setback.

Highworth councillors are still not happy with the proposed development on the site of the former Twelve Oaks Golf Club and once again recommended that the plans be refused.

The proposed football training ground is just one part of a massive complex on the site, bought by Town chairman Lee Power in 2015, that includes a racehorse training centre and a residential estate – which councillors were also against.

Objections raised months ago are still presenting problems - and assurances by the club do not appear to have solved them.

Head of the town council’s planning committee Julie Murphy said: “The overall scheme is huge, the impact on the countryside and the town is significant and we have to consider if the harm outweighs the good.

“The main concerns are about noise and light pollution with all the coming and going there which will affect nearby properties.

“Although there has been a community commitment document, it only outlines a rough timetable. It does not demonstrate that Highworth’s junior football clubs would be able to use the pitches and these plans could affect Highworth Town's attempts to get their own pitch in the town.

“It would help if STFC actually talked to HTFC so that they can say what they can offer them. It would also be nice if the developers spoke to the council and offered more detail.”

The facility would feature a purpose-built training centre, gymnasium and offices, eight grass training pitches and a full-size all-weather illuminated pitch within the new 26,000 square foot complex. The existing golf club building would become the players’ restaurant.

Concerns that work has already started on setting up the racehorse training yard and all-weather gallop with 20 stables and 50 horse boxes near Lechlade Road were denied by the club.

The suggested 18 new homes will help to fund the new training centre next door. However, Highworth councillors wanted to ensure that each section of the planned complex is assessed independently and that one should not be dependent upon another financially.

Coun Murphy added: The dwellings are outside the settlement boundary and outside the concept of a hilltop town. The equestrian centre is quite an unusual set-up with football pitches next to highly-strung racehorses which is a combination which does not seem to go well together.”

Swindon Town Football Club spokeswoman Amanda Loftus responded at length to the objections. She wrote: “STFC is committed to ensuring that the wider community received suitable provision should the scheme be approved.

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“Highworth has a large number of amateur football teams of all ages, which is one of the appeals for STFC choosing the location as the club believes it can provide a modern training facility and coaching to help support the local team’s development.

“At present, STFC is unable to commit to any formalised engagement given that it is unknown whether the application will be approved.

“STFC has already made provision to open the training facility to the wider community during times throughout week and will be engaging fully with local teams in due course.

“The lighting strategy is deemed acceptable in principle and will be further controlled by way of planning condition, which the applicant is happy to accept.

“External lighting of the facility is controlled by environmental legislation to ensure any detrimental impact is mitigated.”