PLANS to develop sporting facilities in Tavistock's Crowndale valley took a step forward last week when West Devon Council agreed to adopt an independent report as a 'blueprint' for the area.

The report, commissioned by the council to help with a lottery bid, consulted sporting organisations which own land or lease land in Tavistock.

David Inman, council deputy chief executive, said: 'There are a lot of organisations doing a lot of hard work to bring better facilities to that particular area. Some are located on one side of the road, some on the other.'

Mr Inman said a representative from Sport England met the clubs, councillors and officers to give his advice.

Sport England said any lottery bid would stand a far better chance if the authority and local clubs signed up to the principles of a 'strategic overview' for the area.

'He was more or less saying you need to look at what you actually want for the valley as a whole, and that is what this report will achieve,' said Mr Inman.

The deputy chief executive said it should be accepted there was a 'Molotov cocktail' of differences between the sporting organisations involved, but felt there was 'flexibility' in the report and clubs should agree to the 'bare bones' to start with.

Mr Inman said the report was a 'blueprint' for sporting facilities at Crowndale as a whole and could be used to support a lottery bid for an all-weather pitch in the grounds of Tavistock College.

'We really need to have these organisations signed up to the report. It would be nice, too, to get individual clubs signed up. I think there is everything to gain here, and very little to lose,' he said.

Cllr Robin Pike said: 'This whole situation in the south of the borough has taken a long time to get off the ground.

'This is a blueprint — it's up to all the organisations to work as a team.'

Cllr Margaret Garton was 'very impressed' with the good will shown by clubs.

'It seems to me that what the clubs are being asked to do is to put that in writing,' she said.

And Cllr Nick Morgan, chairman of the committee, said he had been 'pleasantly surprised' at the enthusiasm shown.

But Cllr Dick Eberlie was worried clubs were being pushed to sign up to the report without detailed information.

'I think it's a pity we are pinning them against the wall like butterflies,' he said.

Cllr Ted Sherrell agreed.

'I can understand reticence from any of these organisations,' he said.

The committee agreed financial grants would be considered for schemes which signed up to the principles of the report and submitted satisfactory business plans.

Sports organisations will meet with the borough again on June 7 to discuss the report further.