Whitehaven AFC is aiming to create a community hub at its County Ground – with opportunities for local groups to make use of the facilities.
Plans for the project are going on public view on January 27 and January 28 at two information drop-in sessions at the ground.
It’s being billed as a WAFC Community Arena with sustainable space for community groups together in a unique signature build.
The West Lancashire League club is looking to attract community leaders and local organisation to see and hear what they have in mind.
Whitehaven’s club president and director Bill Robson said: “We have 56 teams at the club, from Under-5s right up to men and women’s walking football.
“We rely heavily on volunteers and it’s difficult at times.
“We sometimes have a problem when we have four teams playing on the same day. One has to use the Recreation Ground showers and often there’s no hot water.
“We have been looking at various ideas about how we can improve facilities and at the same time offer something to the local community.
“This one we are looking at is based on shipping containers which can become an actual building or form a small part of the overall construction.
“Finished buildings don’t need to look like containers when they are finished either as the company has a large range of exterior cladding options available to suit the local surroundings.
“We got the idea from a club in Nottingham who had plans for such a project but it ended when the local council sold the land.
“However we thought it was a splendid idea and we went on to contact the firm involved, InBox Projects and it’s gone from there.”
InBox Projects are part of the JPC group, who have 30 years experience in international manufacturing high-end containerised buildings.
Although it bases most of their structures on rugged steel shipping containers, that doesn’t mean that they are an inflexible building solution. The container is a building block similar to the children’s building block Lego.
The containers can become the actual building or form a small part of the overall construction. Finished buildings don’t need to look like containers when they are finished either as there are a large range of exterior cladding options available to suit the local surroundings.
Robson said: “We are excited by the plans and the concept and hope that we will have plenty of interest in our drop-in sessions.”
