Town CEO and chairman Mark Ashton has revealed that the club hope to receive the thumbs-up to begin work on the redevelopment of their Playford Road training ground in a fortnight’s time.

The Blues submitted a planning application for the work, which will cost between £20 and £30 million, in November.

Speaking in an interview with former skipper and now director Matt Holland for TownTV alongside manager Kieran McKenna, Ashton said: “I’d like to think we’re probably a couple of weeks away now from, hopefully, a positive planning application and then we’re out to tender and the work will start imminently.

“The designs are completed, we’re in a good place because that not only gives the first team a new home and gives us really elite, first-class facilities, it also takes the current facilities and totally redevelops those for both our academy and our women’s teams, and our development squad.

“So the whole club, the whole football element of the football club is getting a new home and getting really world class and elite facilities, which we’ve cried out for.”

McKenna added: “I think for the whole club, but from a first-team perspective, as Mark has said so many times, we’ve climbed so quickly that from an infrastructure perspective, to match that rate of growth is virtually impossible.

“The club has made the very best of the facilities that we have and the infrastructure that we have but we need to grow it now, we need to develop it in all areas.

“Top range training facilities is a big part of that. It helps the day-to-day work, it helps the recruitment of players and it helps the retainment of our very best players, which we want to do.

“I think that’s going to be a big, big boost. It’s always nice to see the plans going on in the background. I think when the first digger and the first shovel come, it gives the players a big boost, it just reminds everyone that there’s a big, big future ahead of the next week or the next game and the club’s going in a really positive direction.

“It’s exciting to hear that the work’s not too far from commencing and we’re looking forward to seeing it in progress.”

Regarding current works at the stadium, Ashton said: “In the next few weeks two new lounges will open in the West Stand that we’ve been developing underneath the executive boxes and there are multiple projects in the stadium ongoing.

“A planning application is in for car parking behind the South Stand and ultimately we’re working on the redevelopment of the Cobbold Stand, but as I’ve said time and time again, that’s not imminent. That’s a longer-term project.

“We have numerous infrastructure projects still to complete, we have the training ground to complete, delivering cat one status for the academy is no mean feat. We’ve got so much going on.”

ITFC

Bluewhiteboy added 20:58 - Feb 13 Good news but overdue, Ashton and the owners didn't take over yesterday. Not sure why a builders not been appointed yet if planning expecting to be granted in weeks. Not many firms ready to build on that scale at the drop of a hat. Also let's not kid ourselves 30m doesn't get you world class, prob be on par with most championship but shows you the state we have been in. Glad no mention on here about his war cry that's in the east anglian. 100% get behind the boys but at same time if they underperformed especially some of these home games were just been a lack of effort they should know about it. It's the happy clappy clap them off when there rubbish which leads to singing don't worry when we go down. Look at wolves fans giving their boys pelters a Few weeks back and look at them now. Sometimes the boys just need a kick up the backside.

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Suffolkboy added 22:29 - Feb 13 Does B&W boy need to see his Dr about emotional and mental depression ? What a downer he portrays . Let’s always at least try to look on the bright side of life ! Stay. Positive, support, believe , have some humour and perspectives! COYB
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churchmans added 23:16 - Feb 13 BWB 30million does get you an elite training ground facility! Remember it is mainly a building with new facilities not a stadium we are building ffs!! (Not yet)
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blues1 added 23:25 - Feb 13 Bluewhiteboy. Yet again, talking total bs. Just go and support some1 else. You clearly hate itfc. Never have a good word to say. If you really think they could have done all this earlier, with the state the club was in when they took over, ur deluded. Or do you think all the improvements at the ground and the training ground, plus all the improvements in the squad, to get us into thd pl, could have been done overnight? Clearly you have no idea . As for not getting elite training facilities for £30m? What are you on about. Clueless.

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Bluewhiteboy added 08:45 - Feb 14 Sorry I am sure you are all experts in the field of delevolpimg trainig grounds. I for one am not, so made my assumptions on cost of other training grounds recently built such as wolves and Leicester (who i think are our cohort) and there's are double. Looking at elite such Newcastle planned one it's 4 x the cost. That's working off the 30m quoted in this article in all other sources Ashton says between 20-30m. Costs of labour and materials etc have go e through roof, I am sure half of you lot still think you grt change from £2 for a pint. Like i said its positive, and shows the state training ground has been in but don't sell me a BMW and tell me it's a Ferrari.

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Bert added 08:58 - Feb 14 Bluewhiteboy - I can see that motivational speaking is your next occupation !
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trncbluearmy added 10:01 - Feb 14 Always preferred posting on here rather then the main forum as generally fans are more positive and less politically brainwashed. Bluewhiteboy suggest you go over there, you will feel at home I imagine our costs are less then your comparisons because we already own the land, will be using some of the excisting structures and have already updated the pitches. Sure the tenders went out long ago but not prudent to admit to that before final permission granted.

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Bluewhiteboy added 10:12 - Feb 14 Yes your right land in Newcastle is definitely 5 x more expensive than Suffolk. Surprised you didn't say its cheaper as Ashtons doing all the fixtures and fittings himself
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gsoly added 13:01 - Feb 14 What an utterly miserable way to live your life.
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Fabianski added 13:03 - Feb 14 I heard MA is also cooking lunch for the first team squad every day when the new training ground opens! BWB is right though - 30m is comparable with what Bournemouth are spending on their new facilities and they had also own the land already! So difficult to justify ‘elite’ status…
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Cadiar added 20:28 - Feb 14 BWB, obviously you didn't pay much attention to basic spelling at school or are you just really dim? You do seem to have a vast depth of knowledge about the building industry but this isn't building with Lego.
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