AN ILL-FATED community project in Davenham needs £70,000 before it can even begin.

The long-awaited scheme to transform Laburnum Road into a facility for the entire community has hit another snag with the cost of draining the muddy field.

Davenham Parish Council has been determined to create something lasting on the site for more than three years and knew the field's drainage would need some work.

Clr Ben Coker said: "The extent of the work is a bit of a surprise - the field needs taking up, all of the quick-fix drainage solutions need taking out and a robust system installed to last 100 years.

"This will take a long period of time and cost a lot of money, for which funding is not easy to obtain."

Clr John Curran added: "If that was the extent of the project it would take all of our capital and that would be the end of the project."

Councillors now have an important decision to make as the only financial help available to them may be a grant from the Football Foundation and this is not guaranteed.

It would also require the project to have a football focus but initial ideas were to provide something for the whole community. Clr Curran said: "There are no grants for draining the land but the Football Foundation may be interested in providing a grant.

"However, they would need to do it to provide something like a small pitch for junior football or a multi-use games area (MUGA)."

Councillors have reservations about a MUGA, as this type of facility is already available in Moulton and at the County High School Leftwich, but councillors are aware that young people need something to do.

Clr Curran said: "The youth of the village need a facility available for much longer periods of the year than the boggy field at the moment.

"And Kingsmead has no facility at all so it's important for Davenham to provide something for them."