OFFICIALS of Trowbridge Rugby Club remain optimistic that plans for their new £3m ground will get the all-clear, despite a frustrating 10-month wait for planning approval.

Trowbridge had hoped to be playing rugby at the site opposite Paxcroft Farm by September this year, but have now been told that December is a more likely target for building work to start.

The club, along with developers Caldecotte Consultants, have submitted a planning application for new sports pitches and a clubhouse. A separate application has been submitted for 74 new homes to be built on the club's current Green Lane site, which would pay for the ambitious move.

Project manager Mike James said the wait had been a "frustrating" one for everyone connected with the club, but he is now confident of a successful conclusion.

He said: "We are still waiting for planning approval. All the issues surrounding the new site have been resolved but there have been separate issues involving the Green Lane site.

"We've had a number of discussions with planning officers about housing designs and parking problems and we put forward an amended application in February.

"Assuming there are no major objections, we are confident that everything will be approved by the end of the year."

Trowbridge first team compete in the Southern Counties South league. The club also operate two other men's teams, a ladies' under 17s team and junior teams with more than 250 youngsters. A move to the Paxcroft site would provide five times the space at the Green Lane facility, which cannot be expanded due to housing development.

James has warned that the future of junior rugby in the town could be compromised if the move to the Paxcroft site does not go ahead.

He said: "We are in desperate need of a new facility. The soil at Green Lane is poor quality because it is clay-based. We cannot accommodate all the junior teams and if it wasn't for local schools providing sports fields then the kids would not be able to play at all.

"If this project does not go ahead I don't know what will happen to the future of junior rugby in the town. There is a real risk that we could lose the juniors to other clubs if we do not secure this move.

"Having said that I am still fairly confident that we will ge the planning approval we need."

Trowbridge have recently been recognised for their good work off the field. The club won a civic award for its commitment to coaching and developing youngsters and was further boosted by the Sport England Seal of Approval in January.

James said: "Our club is going from strength to strength. We are all volunteers from the local community who care about the future of Trowbridge. All we are missing now is the final piece of the jigsaw.

"But we are not alone in this. I doubt if there's a sports club in the town that does not have an issue with the state of its facilities."

Trowbridge Town Football Club are still locked in talks with council planners about a potential move from Woodmarsh, where they are tenants, to a new site adjacent to the White Horse Business Park.

Plans for the move were delayed because the new site must also include facilities for other sports.