A NEW terrace, corporate hospitality boxes, changing rooms and fitness facilities are on the table under ambitious plans to redevelop the Crossbar End at Holker Street.

Barrow AFC finance and operations manager Andrew Casson is working on proposals to knock down the existing Crossbar building and erect a purpose built stand.

The new structure would include a terrace similar to that at the Holker Street End, with a building to the rear including pitch-facing corporate boxes and other match-day facilities, as well as rooms suitable for use year-round.

It would also have a roof – something much-demanded by supporters for many years at the opposite end of the field.

It is an enterprising proposal – mentioned briefly by Casson's dad Paul, the AFC owner, at a recent meeting with supporters – that is in the embryonic stages, but Casson Jnr hopes it will come to fruition over the next year.

He feels the current Crossbar building – much of which was formerly squad courts as part of the Sports and Leisure club – is not fit for purpose, and needs to be replaced quickly.

“The vision is to knock it down and built an eight to 12-row standing terrace, similar to the Holker Street End, with a purpose-built building running the whole length of that end – and doesn't stop randomly halfway down,” said Casson, who is in charge of the proposed development. “It would be purpose-built for events, and include hospitality suites, offices, proper changing rooms and equipment facilities, potentially things like fitness rooms.

“There is so much space that there are so many options on the table. There could be rooms for players to stay in if they need to stay overnight, and things like that.”

He added: “You would have the terrace, and you would start the building at the back of that stand, so there would be at least some kind of roof over the standing terrace. The second floor would be the corporate and events facility.

“There is the potential where you could extend the terrace further back as well, with the corporate rooms at the back, and a bit of a roof. At the moment, all these things are just initial ideas.”

Local architects have already been approached to draw up designs for the stand.

There are no set dates for any finals plans to be in place, or for work to be started, but the ambition is for a new building to be erected for the 2018/19 season.

Casson added: “Based on the first conversations I've had with them – and I hate to put timelines on these things in case they don't pan out – I would have said it would be the end of September or October for the designs to be submitted and for one to be chosen.

“Once you start going through the planning permission and all that kind of stuff, I would have hoped we could start doing some sort of preparation work once the weather improves towards the latter end of the season.

“The good thing from our perspective is that you have that big lot area to the side of the Cross Bar, where you start doing some of the grading work, the foundations, the pylons and the beams. You could get that done, hopefully, before the end of the season. Then it would be a question of demolishing the current building and going from there with the replacement.”

Barrow AFC season-tickets for the 2017/18 season have arrived at the club and will be available for those who have purchased them from Thursday morning at 9.30am.