A GROUP has been set up to help protect the Old Common, after the controversial plans to build a new stadium for Basingstoke Town Football Club were thrown out by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

As previously reported in The Gazette back in January, residents turned out in their hundreds to object to the football club’s plans and make sure the Old Common remained an open space.

Now a number of local residents living in the Eastrop area have set up the Friends of The Old Common group to put forward ideas how best to maintain and enhance the area for the community.

The aim of the group is to liaise with the borough council, which owns the land, to help create opportunities for wildlife to flourish and to make the Old Common a more attractive place for the public to use.

One of the group’s founding members, Helen Richards, said that the Old Common has largely been ignored over the last decade and they aim to change that.

“What we found out during all the discussions on the plans is that people want to keep the Old Common as an open space,” said Helen.

“What we want to do is to make it more accessible for not just people, but for wildlife to thrive in as well.

“Residents fought hard to save the Old Common, so now we need to make the most of what we’ve got, by introducing new shrubbery, a clear pathway that people can walk around and let it flourish.”

The group recognises that the site still plays an important role as a car park for major events in the town, and Helen said they do not want to stop that, but instead make sure the area can continue to grow despite the heavy volume of cars parked on it.

She said: “At the moment we are still in the very early stages of ironing out exactly what we want to put forward.

“Once we have decided what we would like to see help the future of the Old Common we will be working closely with the council to see if they agree with our plans for the area.” 

What do you think? Please email your views to newsdesk@basingstokegazette. co.uk