Lewes are pushing ahead in their attempts to secure an A ground grading for the Dripping Pan but have called on outside investors to make it possible.

The Rooks need the A grading by March 31 or they will be relegated from Blue Square premier regardless of where they finish in the table.

The club have made it clear they intend to carry out the necessary improvements but first they need to be able to fund the work which will cost about £365,000.

Part of that will come in grants although the Football Stadia Improvement Fund’s contribution would only be about 20% of the total cost rather than 50% which was previously hoped.

To achieve the A grading Lewes need to increase the ground capacity from 3,000 to 4,000 which means extending the open terrace at the Ham Lane end of the ground, which they already have planning permission to do.

Permission is also in place to extend the boundary wall from the Philcox Stand to the Mountfield Road stand, to incorporate two further turnstiles and a new toilet block with disabled facilities.

The third part of the project is to improve the floodlights and the club will be submitting a planning application for his at the end of November.

A statement released by the club said: “The board cannot privately fund these works in the manner in which the previously completed development phases have been and so the club is looking for new offers of support from individuals or businesses, alongside a couple of planned supporter initiatives that will be launched shortly to help the club achieve the finance figures required.”

Director Steve White added: “We are going to do the work but we need the funding. We need the grant applications to go through an an array of funding.”

White does not envisage any problems with the March 31 deadline as long as the necessary funding can be secured.

The full statement from the board reads:

“Eight years ago, the Board of Directors of Lewes Football Club embarked upon a planned development of the Dripping Pan carried out in three principal phases; the construction of the Philcox Stand; the Rookery South Stand; and the work to the Eastern Ham Lane end.

These works were phased to meet grant criteria set out by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, the level at which the first team were then playing at, and the source of the very significant funds required to complete the projects.

Those involved were delighted that the club was awarded a B grading by The FA Regulatory Body at the beginning of 2008. This allows Lewes Football Club to continue to be a member of the Conference League.

Grade A Grading Requirements

Regardless of our performance and position in the Blue Square Premier league this season, we need to have attained an A ground grading at the Dripping Pan by 31st March 2009.

The Board have, for several months, been consulting with the League Grading Committee; East Sussex County Council; The Safety Advisory Group; Lewes District Council Planning Department; our appointed Architects and a number of consultants and contractors.

The required work for Grade A grading falls in to three key elements:

Floodlights

The Dripping Pan floodlighting system does not meet current day regulations. It is expensive to maintain and is of concern in respect of certain Health and Safety issues.

The average lux requirement across the whole playing surface has to be increased from 180 lux to 250 lux for Conference Premier League football and cannot be achieved by simply replacing or supplementing the lamps we currently have on our existing floodlight masts.

We have obtained a number of costed options from three specialist floodlighting contractors, one of which will now be appointed to assist in providing the technical backup for a required planning application that we propose to submit at the end of October.

Ground Capacity

Secondly, we have to increase the ground capacity from 3000 to 4000 in a manner which satisfies the Green Guide to Safety in Sports Grounds and we propose to extend our Eastern open terrace at the Ham Lane end right down to the South East corner.

The necessary planning and building regulation approvals for these works have already been granted.

North West Corner Improvements

Thirdly, in the North West corner of the ground in the Mountfield Road Car Park we propose to extend the block boundary wall from the Philcox Stand to Mountfield Road.

Within this we have to incorporate two further turnstile booths and replace the temporary toilet block with a permanent structure that also includes the provision of a disabled toilet. Again the necessary permissions for these works have been obtained.

Costings

We believe that with careful planning, all of these works could be carried out during the playing season and would need to be commenced early in December if they were to be completed prior to the 31st of March 2009.

With the assistance of our architects and various specialist contractors, costs for the works are as follows: 1) New floodlighting installation £65,000 + VAT 2) Extension to East Terrace £160,000 + VAT 3) New turnstile entrances and toilet provision adjacent to Philcox Stand £85,000 + VAT

Funding

We have had a number of discussions with the Football Stadia Improvement Fund who have agreed that all the works would be eligible for a grant, but if we were fortunate enough to be awarded a grant, it is likely to be in the region of 20% of total cost.

The fund over the last few years has come under considerable pressure and so the awards they are now able to make to those clubs that fulfil all their criteria and can demonstrate the balance of the funding is in place and available, have been considerably reduced in percentage terms which is obviously deeply regrettable.

The Board are actively pursuing the possibility of any other grant funding of which they are aware of, but are always open to any further suggestions of possible sources.

Assistance

The Board cannot privately fund these works in the manner in which the previously completed development phases have been, and so the club is looking for “new” offers of support from individuals or businesses, alongside a couple of planned supporter initiatives that will be launched shortly, to help the club achieve the finance figures required.

The Board are sure that supporters and everyone involved with Lewes Football Club would love to see these works completed, and are appealing for offers of further support.

If you can offer assistance, please contact the Board of Directors in confidence at steve.white@lewesfc.com, who would be delighted to arrange a meeting to discuss matters further.”