A new look Blake Park cricket pavilion has the approval of Tauranga City Council with an expectation construction will begin before next winter.

It opens the way for the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association to host first class cricket matches next summer.

The wicket and grounds are already up to first class standard, leaving only the pavilion and associated facilities to be improved.

The Bay of Plenty Cricket Trust, the association's facilities management wing, went to council seeking a change in location and design for the $3.4 million development last week.

They sought to shift the location of the pavilion round to the north eastern side of the oval. Also, owing to a changed economic environment, the cricket trust has dropped plans for a basement level indoor training area.

Should indoor training lanes go ahead in future, a separate building may be required under a separate application.

Instead, the new, mostly single-level design is expected to be able to be built in stages without looking unfinished.

The cricket trust has raised more than $2.1 million, with TCC contributing $543,000 towards basement level public toilets. TECT has donated $1 million, The Lion Foundation $150,000, Perry Foundation $200,000, First Sovereign $120,000, and there is $100,000 from individuals.

'The reason we changed the design was it became obvious in the current economic climate that the original pavilion was going to be difficult to fund,” says BOP Cricket Association general manager Kelvin Jones.

Early approval for the design changes is crucial to secure existing funding.

Construction needs to start April-May, meaning the working designs have to be finalised early in the new year.