Start of Thame’s new cricket facilities delayed

THE target date for the start of the work on Thame Town Cricket Club’s new club house and facilities, has had to be pushed back from September 2017.

An artist’s impression of the new clubhouse and facilities for Thame Cricket Club

Thame Town Council, which is supporting the project and is loaning some of the funds, has today issued an explanation for the delay. The council’s statement reads:

“Back in October 2015, Thame Town Council agreed to work with, and support, Thame Town Cricket Club in realising their exciting vision of a new Cricket Club Clubhouse / Pavilion at Church Meadow, delivering both the future needs of the cricket club and a wider community facility.

“Detailed plans have been created and revised full planning permission was granted in May 2017. A significant amount of funding has been secured, in line with professionally estimated overall project costings.

“The first part of the tendering process has just been completed, and as sometimes is the case in such situations, the tenders received are in excess of the budget estimates being worked to. There are various reasons, including the high-quality standard of build required in such a sensitive Conservation Area; ground investigations that have revealed a need for significantly more sophisticated foundation requirements and a general increase in construction costs since 2015.

“The Steering / Working Group have considered various possible next steps in detail, and have agreed to re-open discussions with the tenderers to ‘value engineer’ the costs to an acceptable figure. During the tendering process, Thame Town Cricket Club secured additional funding, and is concentrating on attracting further finance to apply to the project.

“There will be a delay whilst these steps are completed, and as a result the target start on site for this exciting project has moved back from September 2017.”

MORE INFORMATION on the Thame Cricket Club’s project HERE