A long-standing Suffolk bowls club has been given permission for improvements including a new bowls area to try and increase membership levels and offer more social opportunities.

Sole Bay Bowls Club, Halesworth Road, Reydon, has been given the go-ahead for a range of developments, including the creation of a new outdoor bowls area, side extensions to the bowls club building and improvements to changing facilities.

Additionally, the application to East Suffolk Council includes plans for three bungalows and two five-storey houses and a new bowls club car park.

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In a supporting statement with the plans, the applicant's agent David Barker, director of Evolution Town Planning, said the club's current indoor and outdoor facilities were old, with the result that membership had fallen to low levels compared to the past.

He said the outdoor bowls green had come to the end of its life and needed replacing with a 'high quality surface' while the indoor bowls building was susceptible to the elements and needed repairs to ensure it could survive heavy snow falls intact.

Meanwhile, the changing rooms and reception needed 'remodelling' while the walls and roof had asbestos and needed to be replaced.

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The club intends to refurbish the indoor bowls building with an extension, internal improvements, new exterior cladding, a new roof and new heating.

Developer Beauly Homes is set to fund the application and will be developing the new homes on unused land to the north of the indoor bowls building.

Mr Barker said: "The club’s membership has declined as a result of the quality of the facilities and it is expected that improvements to the facilities will help the membership grow."

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He added the club was 'relatively unusual' in having indoor bowls facilities.

"The improvements to the indoor bowls building are important for the club as they will allow it to offer more social opportunities for members.

"This will help to sustain the club for the long term. This will also provide local economic benefits with more visiting teams who may stay in the local area and use local hospitality facilities," he said.

READ MORE: Suffolk news