Work on a new sports pavilion will start next month after councillors gave it a near £1m cash boost.

The two-storey pavilion at Nursling Recreation Ground will go ahead after Test Valley Borough Councillors (TVBC) voted to secure funds for the project at its full council meeting, held in Andover on Wednesday, December 11.

Council members were unanimous in their decision to agree that a developer contribution payment of £928,000, known as a Section 106, could be used to fund the construction of the new pavilion. The cash comes from two developments on land at Redbridge Lane, in Nursling and an area east of Rownhams Lane in Rownhams.

Planning was agreed last November for the project, which will see an extension to the village hall, incorporating changing rooms, toilets, a social area and a bar on the first floor. Plans were also approved to increase the roof pitch of the main hall and install solar panels.

(Image: TVBC) Deputy Leader of TVBC Cllr Maureen Flood said it was exciting to see the extension being brought forward by the Parish Council.

She said: "These improvements will benefit the local population and wider area, helping to support physical activity and delivering better sports facilities." Cllr Sandra Gidley said she supported the scheme but had concerns that the improvements would benefit football and cricket clubs and wanted to ensure that girls' sports were not being forgotten.

She said: "I suspect that the usage would be entirely male, and I just wondered whether there was something we could do to use this opportunity to encourage women's sports."

Council leader Phil North reminded Cllr Gidley that women football players in the national teams were faring better than the male teams, but she said she had made a good point and that it would be passed on to the parish council.

The motion was carried and chairman of Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council Phil Bundy said he was delighted with the decision.

He said: "We’ve had tremendous growth in the number of houses in the area in the last few years, so this very important facility is a great improvement on what is there now. The present building is very basic, this new pavilion will have a glass balcony, it’s going to be so much better for everyone.”

Funding has already been secured to improve the recreation ground’s facilities at Redbridge Lane as well as the provision of a multi-use recreation area at Joe Bigwood Field, also known as Jubilee Park.

The new pavilion and grounds improvement will be a huge boost to the community, particularly the Nursling Football Club and Cricket Club which regularly plays at the grounds.

Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council has completed the tendering process, so Wednesday’s vote by TVBC signals the start of groundworks after the Christmas break. It’s anticipated that the project will last 10 months, with a completion date set for September 2025.