Councillors have welcomed news that work has begun on the creation of a new sports pavilion alongside pitches in New Elgin.
The area has suffered from a lack of suitable facilities for some years – a situation that was not helped by the loss of use at Deanshaugh, where sports pitches could not be used after severe flood damage.
While the pavilion and pitches at Deanshaugh are being brought back into use as part of Elgin’s flood alleviation works there had been no progress on long-planned proposals to create a pavilion at Thornhill.
When agreement was reached with housing developers to build new homes in the area it was expected that a pavilion would be created, with local councillor John Divers pressing hard for this to be carried out.
Now Councillor Divers is welcoming news that work has begun on the creation of a pavilion, bringing Thornhill into line with other Elgin sites at Pinefield, Dovecot Park and soon to be restored Deanshaugh.
Councillor Divers said: “This is something that is long overdue in the area and was expected as part of the agreement with developers building homes in the area.
“I have continually pushed for this work to be done and I am delighted it is finally under way.
“With any luck this will soon become a regularly used and well maintained facility that will allow players of all ages to enjoy.”
Councillor Divers’ Labour Party colleague on Moray Council, Barry Jarvis, is a former manager and player in the Forres and Nairn Welfare League, which utilises public pitches and pavilions for their games.
Welcoming the start of work on the Thornhill pavilion Councillor Jarvis said: “Since the remedial work at Deanshaugh and the subsequent farce surrounding its reinstatement Elgin has been desperately short of quality football pitches
“While the ones at Thornhill have taken some of the strain off the others the lack of proper facilities has always been a problem – not to mention the despicable vandalism that has occurred to the temporary cabins that were put there as an interim measure.”