PLANS for a major transformation of a historic cricket club have been given the green light.

Bolton Council has approved Bradshaw Cricket Club’s proposed £350,000 renovation, which will allow it to cater for new girls’, women’s, and disabled teams.

The designs include new changing rooms, as well as a new members’ lounge and an extended function suite that can also be used to host community events.

Bradshaw Cricket Club has had a presence on its Rigby Lane site since 1884, but the existing facilities were built and subsequently extended between the 1970s and 1990s.

It is now hoped that the redevelopment can start next winter, once the club has secured grant funding for the project.

Club secretary Mike Buckley said: “We are extremely pleased. It has been hard work to get to this stage but we are there now.

“We need to look at the different sources of grant funding now, like Sport England, Viridor, and others.

“It should be a great asset for the community once the work is completed.”

The club currently has three senior teams, four youth teams, and is an ECB-accredited All Stars Cricket centre.

It is hoped that the construction work can be completed in time for the start of the 2019 cricket season.

Due to the poor condition of the existing drainage within the club’s washroom facilities, it is proposed to relocate and provide new washrooms for the function suite. That would enable a new principal entrance to be formed from the rear car park, which would provide better access for wheelchair users.