Plans have been announced this week to extend one of the finest sports buildings in the region.

The Maltings Pavilion in Pirnhow Street, opposite the new Waterside Maltings building site at Ditchingham, is the home of sporting activity for many people of all ages in the Bungay area.

Investment of £1.5m in facilities for sport have included buying 16 acres of playing field, installing a floodlit all weather multi-use games area including two tennis courts, a floodlit full size grass pitch for Under 18s football and also, new for this season, an artificial cricket pitch.

All these sports facilities surround one of the very best sports specific buildings in the area with modern changing rooms and a marvellous bar with a great viewing aspect for supporters, parents and players.

The main difficulty that has been identified after nearly seven years is the huge running cost of maintaining the site in the very best condition to encourage the young and old to enjoy the recognised health benefits of exercising safely.

The Maltings Pavilion and Maltings Meadow are not subsidised by a local council, all the money we spend on maintaining the playing fields, using the floodlights, and heating the building to make sport accessible comes from the people who pay to play their sport but additionally, and most significantly, those local people who use the Maltings Pavilion for parties, weddings, committee meetings and their special interest groups.

Tony Sprake, Chairman of Bungay Town FC who voluntarily gives up his time to help manage and maintain the site, said: 'It is great that local people want to use our social and bar area to host parties as it brings in much needed income on a Saturday night. Unfortunately it also means our footballers and cricketers, after playing matches or training, have to decamp to a local pub to mix socially with their team mates and the opposition. 'We have decided to look for a grant to extend the Maltings Pavilion in order to improve the opportunities we offer to local people while at the same time providing the sports lovers a social area they can use'.

Jon Fuller, Chairman of the Association said: 'We have made an application for significant funding to the Big Lottery and so far their reaction has been encouraging. They tell us that out of all the groups that apply for this funding only 20pc even get this far, so hopefully everyone can be positive and try and enhance the local amenities for all the residents who live in the area'.