RESIDENTS in Basingstoke will have a key say on whether or not Basingstoke Town's stadium plans get the green light.

If, as expected, councillors on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet approve an agreement between the borough council and Basingstoke Town Football Club on Tuesday, a public consultation on the loss of the open space off Old Common Road will be launched in July.

Residents first took part in a public consultation period in 2011, which saw exhibitions detailing the plans take place at The Camrose Stadium, St Mary’s Church Hall, in Eastrop, and Festival Place.

As part of the new consultation period, leaflets detailing the plans will be distributed to community facilities around the borough, and a drop-in session will be held at the Roger Morris Centre, in Eastrop Way, in July at a date and time to be confirmed.

In addition, a dedicated website on the proposals, which links to a questionnaire, will be launched in the next few weeks.

A question will also be added to the borough council’s residents’ survey, which is carried out every two years with a sample of around 1,200 residents questioned.

Borough council leader Cllr Clive Sanders told The Gazette: “Because it is public open space, we are going through consultation to make sure the public are happy that we have allocated the land.”

Town FC chairman Rafi Razzak added: “This is a major step forward and I am very hopeful about the public consultation. We believe this is a stadium that will be for the benefit of Basingstoke.”