THE council are cooperating with Swindon Town to find the club a new training base inside the borough and are currently evaluating eight potential sites.

On Thursday it was revealed that Town are currently trialling the facilities at Beversbrook in Calne as they look for a short-term solution.

The lease on the club’s current base at PGL Liddington expires in the summer and Town are keen to find a new facility.

Beversbrook is a facility that has long been mooted as a potential long-term solution to the training ground issue and could be used at the start of next season if the development of a local site cannot be completed in time.

However the chances of it becoming a permanent home are remote, with the club known to prefer a base within the borough.

Earlier in the season a move to Chippenham’s Stanley Park was looking encouraging, with talk of it even being available for the start of next season, but the council have now got on board to help fulfil the club’s wish to train locally.

Town legend Fraser Digby, who is advising the club on finding the new facility is excited by the recent developments and believes it could leave a real legacy for the town.

“Long-term we’ve got some excellent opportunities,” he told the Advertiser.

“I’ve been working closely with a local land agent and we’ve probably got around eight different sites that we’re looking at and it will take time to go through them.

“Those eight sites are great locations for a training ground. All being well, if they do materialise, I think it would be a great legacy for Lee (Power) to leave.

“They’re all in and around Swindon and have all got different possibilities and it’s just negotiating the best one for the club and the best location.

“The thing with development and planning is that it takes a lot of time to go through. At this moment in time there are options, but not for next season.

“Each site is very different, so costs are like putting your finger in the wind to a certain degree until you get down to the nitty gritty of it.

“There are a lot of discussions to be had, once we get a clearer picture then we’ll be able to come out and say. I’m quite confident for the future.”

Talks with the council are at an early stage, but officers are currently searching for a suitable location.

It is thought four have been looked at within the existing built up areas while some could be in areas yet to be developed, although the Eastern Villages is not currently being considered.

Any site would need to fit a number of criteria to be viable, including being big enough to accommodate around eight pitches and being secure enough should the club reach the Premier League.

Councillor Garry Perkins (Con, Haydon Wick), the cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “The club were offered a site in Chippenham but we are very keen to keep them within the borough.

“We have had some very positive talks with Lee Power and Sangita Shah about what they want.

“Everything is at a very early stage so we have not spoken about the finances.

“The club though are very keen to be part of the community. Making their facilities available for use by the public is also something being looked at.”