The Community Club was very disappointed to learn the National Planning Inspectorate’s decision to allow planning permission on the site of The Camrose. Following discussions with our legal representatives, aside from the significant costs involved in a proposed challenge at the High Court, it has been decided that we will not be appealing the decision further as we have been lead to believe that despite our belief that it was the incorrect decision, it’s unlikely be overturned. We are still yet to learn the Asset of Community Value outcome.
We will now focus our efforts on a two-pronged approach:
Our mid-long term aspirations are of course for the Community Club to have a true like-for-like replacement for The Camrose, as a home of our own in the town. The Feasibility Study we worked on and delivered to key members of the Council is still very much valid. We will be discussing our ambitions and plans with the Council in the coming weeks.
In the short-mid term, we must ensure that the club is able to continue to grow and indeed outgrow Winklebury Football Complex and to do that we need to ensure our occupancy at Winklebury Football Complex is feasible (e.g. Clubhouse). We will have held primary discussions with Hampshire FA this week and again, we will hold discussions with the Council to ensure we’re on the same page in regards to our short-mid and mid-long term aspirations as a Community Club.
Community Club Chairman, Jack Miller added “It’s on us as a club to ensure the Council fully understand the requirements and how we’ve found ourselves in this situation and for us to demonstrate to them what other Councils across the country have done to support sport and we hope to work in collaboration with them so that the needs of the Community Club and the people of the borough are met. Further, it’s on the Council to tell us their aspirations and appetite for sport in the town too.
“We’ll be setting up some meetings with the Council over the coming weeks to discuss this important topic at length”