ANDY Mackinder says that Trowbridge Town’s plans to develop their Woodmarsh home won’t be put on hold despite his resignation as chairman of the Hellenic League club.

Town have drawn up proposals to build a new single-storey clubhouse which will include four changing rooms for its junior and senior teams, an officials’ office, and storage rooms..

In the last four years several controversial ideas have been put forward to create a football and leisure complex for Trowbridge Town but have subsequently fallen through.

Mackinder, who announced his decision to step down after 15 years earlier this week, is heavily involved in the latest plan and believes it is much more realistic.

“It’s going to be a modest development, but one that’s deliverable and not like some of the grandiose plans put forward by previous administrations,” he said.

“In the past we’ve suffered from people’s pipe dreams and now it’s all about putting an infrastructure in place to move the club forward.

“We’re at the stage where we would like to apply to the local authority planning department and for a grant from the Football Foundation to fund the project.”

Mackinder’s increasing work commitments led to his decision to step down from the position on Monday.

Town will be run by an executive committee and vice-chairman Paul Naylor until a replacement is appointed.

“I’m gaining a lot more responsibilities in my career and that means I can’t continue to dedicate my time to the football club,” said Mackinder, who works for the government.

“I travel around the country and spend a lot of time in America.

“When you’re chairman of a club, you have to dedicate your evenings and weekends to running it and I just can’t invest the time in the club that it deserves and that is extremely sad for me”

“I’m not running away and leaving the club in the lurch as the plans for the ground are my vision and I’d have loved to have seen it through to the end.

“I’m immensely proud of what’s been achieved at this club while I’ve been here and I’ll always be a supporter of Trowbridge Town.

“It’s been a big part of my life and my kids have grown up with the football club.”

Trowbridge’s first-team manager Chris Carr said: “I’m disappointed because obviously it was Andy who put me in (as manager) and gave me a chance.

“Andy has been involved with the club for a long time and I know he has got a hard job with not a lot of spare time.

“He’s done it in the best interests of the club. Everyone will respect his reasons.’’