Mill Lane Playing Fields and Pavilion Upgrade Project

3D View of new Pavilion
Architect’s 3D Render of the new Pavilion

Headley Parish Council has been working on the major project to improve the Margery Wheatley Pavilion and the Mill Lane Playing Fields for some considerable time.  So far we have secured funding totalling £823,000 and have already provided three new Youth football pitches which were completed for the 2024/5 season. In addition, the Bowls Club and Tennis Club facilities have been upgraded with help from the clubs.

Much of that funding has come from the levy paid by developers in this and nearby parishes known as the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 agreements made between developers and local authorities.

The next stage of the project is to upgrade the Pavilion building. The building has had a lot of use since the original construction. It was showing signs of wear and tear, and facilities needed to be expanded to cater for current and future use.  The upgrade will include:

  • New and more welcoming entrance area, with an extended balcony above
  • Extending the Main Hall to enable enhanced sporting activities and community usage
  • Additional storage capacity for sports club users
  • Upgrade and extend changing rooms
  • Total upgrade of all the public toilet areas
  • Improved kitchen facilities and upgrade to the bar facilities to better serve sports club and community usage
  • Improvement of water mains and drainage infrastructure to better serve sports pitches and changing areas

The construction phase of the project will run from mid-April 2025 to early 2026. During this time the Pavilion will be closed. The playing fields remain open and will continue to be used by the resident sports clubs, and there will be continued public access for recreation and dog walking. However, there will be reduced parking available due to the construction compound and we ask that people keep away from the building works for their own safety.

We will continue to apply for grants to cover additional facilities we would like to include in the upgrade. As we make progress with the design and build of these new facilities we will be adding further news items to this website.

The sorry state of the existing changing rooms!

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