Council chiefs have set aside £150,000 towards the cost of providing a new community building and café at Moormead.

The building finally won planning approval in January despite objections from officials and some residents that it would harm what is effectively a green belt site.

The scheme, which involves replacing the existing derelict eyesore building, was supported by hundreds of local residents, schools and sports clubs

It will include a café and meeting space for community groups, storage for sports equipment and toilets.

Council chiefs and the community groups behind the scheme are working on how to press ahead with the plan and put the funding in place.

Councillors have held talks with representatives from the Moormead Community & Sports Pavilion Charity and Friends of Moormead on how to push ahead with the scheme.

The cost of the scheme and how it will be paid for are not clear. The team are understood to be applying to grants from organisations such as the London Marathon Charitable Trust, Sport England Community Investment Fund, and the Big Lottery Fund.

The Council had already allocated a provisional £150,000 for some form of pavilion improvement on Moormead, and a future report to the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee will set out how and when this funding could be drawn down.

Cllr Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of the Council's Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee said: "There is rightly a lot of local interest in the project. A new pavilion will be a great asset in the community, and it is important to get it right and ensure it benefits the broadest range of park users.

"Our conversation with the community groups last week was very constructive. We agreed that a partnership-based approach is necessary to maximise the potential of the scheme. We will work together to find a viable approach to meet the needs of community and to help the scheme attract external funding through grants.

"Within the Council, we will progress approval for the initiation of the scheme through our relevant Committees over the summer and set out how the Council's funding allocation will be spent.

"We will also work with the community representatives to feed back on their business plan for the construction and operation of the building."

Gariesh Sharma (Trustee, Moormead Community Sports Pavilion) said: "We can't wait to get started with the new pavilion on Moormead Park and welcome the potential £150,000 towards this new community facility.

"Our charity needs more local people to get involved, to help with fundraising and project management, we will even need a team of volunteers to look after the pavilion's green wall.

Will Flower, chair of the Friends of Moormead Park said: "We've had a derelict building on Moormead for the last 40 years. It's great news the council are partnering with a local charity to deliver a new pavilion.

"Over the last 12 months we've added an outdoor gym, refurbished the tennis courts and brought new equipment into the children's play area. We hope the path to Twickenham Station will be opened very soon.