Devizes Budo Club has submitted a planning application to build a new base on the site of the Windsor Drive allotments site.

The club, whose star performers include judoka Tom Reed who won silver in the Commonwealth Games last week, has been at its present site, by the former Queen’s Head pub in Dunkirk Hill, since 1965 but the site is to be redeveloped with housing so the club has been looking for alternative sites.

Devizes Town Council owns the Windsor Drive allotments and has offered the club a part of the car park to build the new centre on. The town council would be minded to lease the site to the club.

Roy Chandler, president of the budo club and one of the Aikido coaches, said: “Land in Devizes is at a premium and locating the club at the Windsor Drive allotments would make it much more convenient for parents and children to get there. It’s a much better access.”

A new centre would cost between £250,000 and £300,00 and the club would have to raise the money through fundraising and grant applications.

Mr Chandler said: “The amount may sound ambitious but the club has outgrown its present premises and we need to be pro-active in keeping it alive. We are very passionate and proud of our club and it is an integral part of the Devizes community.”

The club teaches judo, Aikido and karate and has over 80 members, predominantly juniors. Their squad for competing in national competitions is 30.

The timescale for the move from their present premises is likely to be March 2017 when there is a break clause in their lease.

In the application the club’s agents, Jacques Partnership, said views of the new building would only be seen from the allotments and not from any nearby public paths and roads. No additional parking would be provided and the agents say peak use would not clash with school hours.

They added while overall use of the access to the allotment site would increase the timing would be spread and be primarily outside the hours of existing use.