CRICKET could return to a Dorset village after plans for a new pavilion were submitted.

Michael Lyons Architecture, on behalf of Stubhampton Estates, has applied for permission for a thatched structure on land near Drove Barn Farm, Tarrant Gunville.

The building would replace a former cricket pavilion which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The plans come after Stubhampton Estates was approached by locals hoping to use the site on a ‘limited basis’.

The application said: “The building will become part of the estate and be maintained by the estate, with the intention of offering the use of the cricket pitch and pavilion to the local community on a limited basis.”

It added: “The application is for the replacement of the existing run-down timber cricket pavilion and the construction of a new thatched roof building.”

There are fields to the north, east and west and the highway to the south. The cricket field is to the north of the country lane running east to west and access is via a five-bar gate on the south west of the site.

“The existing cricket pavilion is in a state of disrepair. It is a single storey building of rectangular plan with a dual pitched roof,” the application said.

The current pavilion building at Tarrant Gunville has fallen into disrepair. Picture: Dorset Council/Michael Lyons Architecture

“It is a timber framed building with timber boarding to the external walls, painted timber windows and a corrugated sheet roof.

“The roof has suffered a structural failure and there is an opening adjacent to the gable. The building has currently been secured behind a Heras fence for safety.

“The proposal is to take down the defective existing building and replace it with a new pavilion. The proposed new pavilion would be in part in the location of the existing but moved slightly to the south-east away from the existing trees.

“This is not only for the benefit of the trees, but also to give the pavilion a better visual relationship with the cricket pitch and green.”

The new pavilion would be a single-storey building with timber boarded walls, sitting on a brick plinth. The roof would be a hip and pitched thatched roof, with windows and doors of painted timber.

“The building would have one central room with a kitchen to one side,” the application went on. “There would be a single WC and cloakroom along with a small external groundskeeper’s store.

How the new pavilion could look. Picture: Dorset Council/Ben Pentreath

“There would be a small veranda set back into the building and from which three pairs of French doors open out onto.

“It is proposed that the building will be constructed from locally sourced materials, potentially from timber felled on the estate. It will feature a timber framed and well insulated structure that will exceed the requirements of the building regulations.
“Existing demolition materials will be reused where possible.

“The current proposals for heating are either air-source heat pump or low powered electric heaters in conjunction with future potential solar panels on the estate.”

For more information, and to comment on the plans, log on to www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and search application reference P/FUL/2022/07218.