PERMISSION is being sought to re-locate Ledbury Cricket Club to a new site, on agricultural land, to the south of Ross Road and off Orlham Lane.

The Change of Use application ( P142062/F) has been received by Herefordshire Council; and the period of consultation, for public comment, ends on Wednesday August 6.

But apart from two maps, and a supporting letter from Ledbury Cricket Club, it contains little hard detail about the proposed new club site.

The application has been made by the Silverwood Partnership and Ledbury Cricket Club.

The Silverwood Partnership and Enterprise Inns, which owns present ground of the cricket club, behind the Full Pitcher, off New Street, recently submitted an application for 100 new houses on the club's existing site.

The supporting letter for a move, signed by cricket club chairman, Robert Yeoman and the club's honorary secretary, Matthew Ehrlich is enthusiastic and lists both the difficulties faced at the present site and the benefits that the new 2.1 hectare site would offer.

The club is keen to have freehold on a ground, instead of a short-term lease.

The letter states the club would get a new brick pavilion, with modern changing facilities, new wickets with bigger boundaries, a second junior pitch; new practice nets; a more physically secure location with "purpose built car parking facilities".

However, none of this is listed on the actual application form, and provision for parking is actually given as zero.

But if change of use is given to use the agricultural land for a new cricket ground, a full planning application, as a more detailed submission, would have to be submitted to Herefordshire Council.

The club appears to be in no doubt where its future lies.

The club's letter of support states: "We would like to support our growing membership and our ambitions, which are being held back by our current circumstances.

"We are currently the tenants of Enterprise Inns Plc and have a rolling short-term lease on the land behind the Full Pitcher.

"Whilst we have an excellent relationship with Enterprise Inns, our lease holds back the development of the club for a number of reasons."

The club cannot make major grant applications and and investment in facilities has to be "counter-balanced against the risk that the lease could be terminated at short notice".

The club needs a new pavilion "but without security of a long lease the risk is too great for this improvement".

The present site, off New Street, is bedevilled by dog walkers and pedestrians who interrupt matches.

The club has suffered from petty thefts, vandalism and litter, and there is no hard-standing for car parking.

The supporting letter concludes, with reference to a new ground: "In 2012, Ledbury Cricket Club celebrated 175 years of existence; this would go a long way at securing the next 175 years.

"It will provide cricket facilities the town can be proud of, and certain of."