A BASINGSTOKE school has declined an offer from Basingstoke Town Football Club to provide an artificial training pitch on their land.

As previously reported by The Gazette, as part of a deal to build the £10m stadium, Basingstoke Town FC wants to site an all-weather pitch at neighbouring Costello School, in Crossborough Hill, which will be used both by the football club and pupils at the school.

However, this week, Costello School business manager Tracy Stratton told The Gazette: “They wrote to us with a proposal of when we can have access to the grounds, and we have written back to them and declined their offer.”

But Malcolm McPhail, of Lamron Estates Limited – the developer project managing the scheme – told The Gazette that the club still hopes to reach an agreement with the school.

He said that issues between the football club and the school relate to service charges to maintain the all-weather pitch, and the times that the school will be able to use the facility.

He added: “Currently the club is only part-time and only uses the facilities in the evening, but if it was to go full-time, there will be more use and the possibility of clashing with the school, so there has to be a solution in terms of usage.

“The club has said that it will provide a community facility and that a facility will be provided with Costello.

“That has always been our preference but if the school can’t accommodate the user requirements, they (the club) will go elsewhere.

“There are alternative locations but we have not looked at them because our preference is Costello.”

Mr McPhail said the club hopes to continue discussions with the school over the next few weeks.