THE organisers of a Swindon sports and social club say they are overjoyed that permission has been granted for a DIY store to be built alongside them.

Swindon Council granted permission for Wickes to open a new store in Gipsy Lane, Gorse Hill, at a planning committee meeting last night.

The decision has secured the future of the Swindon Gas Sports and Social Club. As part of the deal with Wickes the club will own its clubhouse, which until now has been only leasehold. The club was able to buy it for a nominal fee of £1.

It also means that the social club's derelict football pitch will be repositioned and rebuilt by the developers.

Nick Hogg, club president, said: "This is the best possible news we could have hoped for.

"We have been negotiating for a number of years with various developers and this is the best scheme we have been offered.

"It means that instead of being tenants we will own the freehold of the building so we can really make plans for the future of the club.

"We can invest in it and we are already planning to redecorate.

"This is a great family club which serves the people of Gorse Hill and the surrounding areas well."

The club set up in the 1920s was originally open only to employers of British Gas.

But over the years it has expanded and now has over 300 members all of which signed a petition calling for the Wickes development to be approved.

However, Sport England the Government organisation in charge of sport in the country objected to the Wickes application.

It said moving the football pitch and building on the old one went against its playing field policy.

However it did acknowledge that a new pitch was to be provided.

But both the Gas Sports and Social Club's football club and the Olympic club, which uses the facility sent in letters of support for the application to the council.

A letter from the Olympic Club read: "We are a weekly social club for adults with learning disabilities.

"For the last 12 years the club has been held at the Gas Social Club.

"The committee has been very supportive of our activities.

"We would like to support this application.

"A new football pitch plus the regeneration of the area will be of great benefit to the community."

The council's decision will be welcomed by the Olympic Club.

Mr Hogg said: "This means that the Olympic Club's future is secure too."

Wickes already has a store in County Road, which the developers say would be closed once the new store in Gypsy Lane opens.

Diana Milne