SPORTS clubs are delighted by the plans to expand and improve the Prince of Wales stadium.
Cheltenham Borough Council has announced ambitious proposals to add a BMX track, climbing wall, and 3G artificial football and rugby pitch to the Pittville venue, as well as improving the current grass pitch.
If approved by the council's cabinet on Tuesday, the revamp would take five to seven years and cost between £1.75 million and £2.25 million.
Cheltenham & County Cycling Club has been calling for a BMX track in the town for three years and members are thrilled their dream could now become a reality.
It will contribute around £70,000 it has received in grants towards the cost of creating the track and Alan Williams said his fellow members can't wait to go for a spin there.
The 68-year-old, whose 38-year-old son Colin is a keen BMX rider, said: "We are going to get a regional standard track which is just one level down from the one they used at the Olympics.
"We have around 150 members who are BMX riders and it looks like it's going to be a really good track for them."
Cheltenham Rugby Club, which holds the lease for the stadium, had been urging the council to improve the facilities.
Chairman Steve Radcliffe said the club would use the 3G pitch – the same kind used by Premiership club Saracens for training and some matches and the improved grass pitch for the rest of its games.
He said: "The facility was built in 1980/81. I would say there has been no investment in the facility since then and, to provide modern sports of high quality, you need a programme of investment and improvement.
"Our biggest concern has been the amount the pitch is used and the quality of the repair and renovation at the end of the season and that it needs to be improved.
"We are delighted things are now moving forward, although we would like it to be sooner than seven years."
Increasing the capacity at the stadium is a possibility, and the chairman of the University of Gloucestershire All Golds said a bigger and better home was vital for the growth of the rugby league club.
"You would not be allowed at the top table of the game without a suitable venue to play at," Lionel Hurst said.
Pittville resident Adam Proud is excited about the prospect of a climbing wall at the stadium.
The 32-year-old said: "I love climbing so to have a good place to do it on my doorstep would be fantastic.
"I can see it being really popular."
