SWINDON Town look set to relocate their training ground to Beversbrook Sports and Community Facility in Calne, bringing a huge boost to the town.

A full town council meeting in Calne held on Monday saw councillors agree to allow the Swindon Town first team use of the facilities during the day when Beversbrook is at its quietest.

The ratification from the town council does not definitively determine whether Swindon Town will be in Calne next season with the terms still needing to be agreed and signed.

However the sports facility, which won the Institute of Groundsmen Best Grassroots Sports Facility in 2013 and came runners-up a year later, appears to be the club’s first choice.

Town councillors were happy for the club, who would pay £20,000 up front annually, to use the community facility for a maximum period of three years from July 1.

Town clerk Linda Roberts said: “There’s no financial risk to the town council. The town council will benefit financially £20k and that will offset the delay in the all-weather pitch.”

Swindon Town have previously used Beversbrook to train, most recently in the run-up to this season’s play-offs, where they paid on a pay-as-you-play basis.

Beversbrook manager Kevin Whitehorn said the club had always left the pitches immaculate and were happy to use different areas around the facility as directed.

He said that the football club would be looking to install portable cabins, at no cost to the council, behind the proposed area of the overflow car park.

The portable cabins, which would be subject to planning permission, would house a gym, rehab room, offices, a boot room and an area to provide the players with refreshment, according to the report.

Calne Mayor Howard Marshall said: “It’s very good for Beversbrook; the fact that Swindon have chosen it is an accolade to the groundsmen for the way they keep the pitches.

“People are going to say ‘Swindon wow, it must be good there’. It will also bring revenue to the business of Beversbrook. It’s only two or three years but that will be fine because its money we would not otherwise have had.

“It makes it a well used facility, Swindon will be using it when others are not so it will dovetail nicely, and there will be no disappointed teams.”

Swindon Town previously discussed relocating the first team and academy to Beversbrook Sports Facility back in 2013 before new Swindon Town owner Lee Power decided against the switch.

The Beversbrook base would serve as a temporary stopgap while the club identify land within the borough of Swindon to construct a permanent training ground.

The Robins are thought to be considering eight locations but any new facility would not be expected to be ready until 2018.