RESIDENTS are being urged to give their views on Basingstoke Town Football Club's proposals to build a new £7.5million stadium on land off Old Common Road in Eastrop.

In a consultation running until Friday, October 10, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is asking whether local people think it should be using its own land to help the football club find a new improved home.

The eight-acre piece of council-owned land, known as ‘Old Common’, adjacent to War Memorial Park and The Costello School playing fields, is the preferred location for the new improved stadium to replace the outdated stadium, in Western Way.

The football club proposes to redevelop the old stadium as a retail park after the move to fund the development of the new stadium without use of public money. This would hopefully give the club the opportunity to move into a higher league and provide spectators with much improved facilities.

Both parts of this project would be subject to the football club getting planning permission for each site, and any applications would include public consultation with local residents.

If the 5,124-capacity football club stadium is to be built, it would be available for community sport events, provide parking spaces for use for events in War Memorial Park, including Basingstoke Live, would see the club forge links with schools and colleges, and would aim to further enhance the town’s image.

Parking would be available for The Costello School to use as a drop-off point to alleviate traffic on London Road.

A multi-use games area for public use would be constructed and operated by the council on land in the north west corner of the Old Common Road site, and an all-weather training pitch would be available for The Costello School and for wider community use.

The council, as the owner of the land at Old Common, is keen to understand how people in the local area use it and feel about the proposals.

An information drop-in session will be held at YMCA Basingstoke, in Eastrop Way, on Monday, September 22 between 3pm and 8pm and people can give feedback and ask questions.

As the council owns part of the current football ground site, it would have to agree to the sale of its piece of land so that the football club could use it as part of the planning application site.

Before a decision is made on whether to sell this piece of land, Cabinet member Cllr John Izett agreed to local councillors’ request that residents living around the current stadium be asked for their views.

Cllr Izett said: “There is general agreement that the football club needs a new ground and that the council should help it – that’s why the council is considering the use of its land at Old Common Road.

“This is an important decision that affects Basingstoke’s future, and that is why the public consultation programme is extensive. As portfolio holder, I want to hear the views of residents.”

At this stage, comments are not sought on detailed planning issues as local residents will be consulted further if the scheme progresses to the planning application stage.

Local people can register their opinions by filling in the online forms at basingstoke.gov.uk/go/footballclubmove or by calling 01256 844844 for paper comments forms.