BASINGSTOKE Town FC chairman Rafi Razzak is optimistic that an eleventh-hour meeting has rescued and revived the prospect of building a new stadium complex at Down Grange.

In November, The Gazette exclusively revealed how Town chairman Razzak wanted to move the club to Down Grange as part of an ambitious scheme to build a multi-million-pound community sports stadium complex – one that might feature a hotel and a fitness centre.

It was hoped that the stadium might be shared by Basingstoke Rugby Football Club, with the complex also becoming home to the local hockey club, Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club and other sporting organiosations.

The complex would have delivered the athletic club’s long-awaited eight-lane track.

Work to turn this dream into a reality has been going on ever since, but the plans were dealt a devastating blow earlier on Tuesday, when the borough council said a thorough study showed that Down Grange cannot fulfil the needs of all parties.

Basingstoke and Deane officers investigated whether there was sufficient space to accommodate the needs of the rugby, hockey and athletics clubs, which are already based at Down Grange, and provide stadium facilities to meet the aspirations of Basingstoke Town.

They looked into a number of layout options but came to the conclusion that the site cannot fulfil the needs of all parties, including local residents.

However, The Gazette can exclusively reveal that Razzak met with Steve Tristram, his opposite number at Basingstoke RFC, yesterday afternoon – and the soccer chairman came out of the summit with renewed hope that the ambitious scheme can still go ahead.

“I am now optimistic that the plans can be resurrected,” he said.

“We reached a compromise and came up with a proposal to adapt the council’s plans, so the ball is back in the council’s court.

“As I have said from the outset, the proposed development is something that would be to the benefit of the whole of Basingstoke and its sporting community, and not just the football club.”

Tristram added his support to the redraft, saying: “We believe we have reached a possible compromise with a number of shared facilities, which would allow the plans to be reconsidered.”

Razzak and Tristram hope to meet council bosses to discuss the revised plans in the near future, and borough leader Councillor Andrew Finney said he would be happy to see what they have come up with.

“If they have come to a compromise, and providing it works planning-wise, I would be delighted,” he said. “We were disappointed not to be able to find a way of accommodating everyone and I hope an agreement can still be reached.”