AS Basingstoke’s population continues to surge, the chairman of the town’s football club has urged the council to consider sports facilities for future generations.

Terry Brown and Kevin White have pleaded with three senior councillors to ensure that the Camrose ground, threatened with redevelopment, is replaced with a suitable alternative.

It comes after the authority’s Horizon 2050 report pledged that strengthened health and social care services will be complemented by “outstanding” sports, leisure and community facilities “that are accessible to all”.

The letter from Basingstoke Town Community Football Club continues: “With a suggested population of 235,000 or 248,000 by 2050, the extra demand for all aspects of football, the town’s leading sports activity, will be significantly increased.

“In our view the potential loss of the Camrose Stadium without a properly funded replacement or a relevant plan runs counter to the spirit and intention of Horizon 2050.”

You can read the full story on page 9 of this week's paper.

Also in this week's paper:

  • “We want to feed the nation and create jobs”. This is the message from the store manager of Basingstoke’s newest supermarket, which opened its doors at St Michael’s Retail Park on Tuesday, June 2. Speaking to the Gazette, James described the “weird” feeling of opening up a business during a pandemic but wanted to reassure the public that they are following government guidelines. Read the full story on page 2.
  • A poem written during the Second World War by a soldier from Oakley has been shared with his extended family after a man from the Netherlands tracked them down. Willem Vermeulen began researching the names of soldiers who stayed with his great grandparents, Ad van Engelen and Mimi van der Bruggen in Nijmegen, close to the German border, during World War II. He told the Gazette: “I thought it would be cool for the families of these soldiers to know more about their adventures during WWII.” Read the full story on page 3.
  • Nearly 100 people in Basingstoke have died after contracting coronavirus, new figures show. This includes 20 residents who died across the town’s network of care homes and 71 people who died at Basingstoke hospital. Meanwhile, the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the borough is high because of early testing by the trust which runs Basingstoke hospital, according to members of a local public services forum. Responding to the Gazette’s front page story last week which revealed Basingstoke has the highest number of people testing positive for the virus in Hampshire, members of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) explained why the figure appears to be worse locally, and offered reassurance that it isn’t because people have not followed lockdown rules. Read the full report on pages 4-5.
  • The number of patients being treated for coronavirus at Basingstoke hospital has fallen. Last month, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital was caring for around 39 people who were battling the disease. Now, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they currently have just nine patients being treated for the illness at Basingstoke hospital. Read the full story on page 6.
  • Multi-million-pound plans to revolutionise healthcare in north and mid Hampshire have taken a step forward. A new hospital has become the centrepiece of the biggest modernisation programme of services in the area in 50 years. Now, HHFT want to know where people would like the centre to be. Read the full story on page 7.
  • The most common places that people illegally dump their waste in Basingstoke have been revealed. Figures obtained by the Gazette show that last year 2,138 fly-tips were reported to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. This equates to nearly six per day. They also show that Abbey Road in Popley was the most fly-tipped location in the borough. Meanwhile, figures have revealed how parts of North Hampshire have seen double the amount of fly-tipping whilst Household Waste Recycling Centres were closed. Read the full report on pages 12-13.
  • Three Basingstoke students have set up their own protest in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter marches around the world. The three women have painted signs and are hoping to change the conversation about racism and privilege locally. They appeared at Winchester Road roundabout on Tuesday afternoon, along with hundreds of thousands across the UK and America. Full story on page 21.
  • Plus, our weekly report from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • The first entry in our Lockdown History Project.
  • Two pages of news from our communities.
  • Three pages of news from our districts.
  • A four-page puzzle special.
  • Photos looking back on the start of lockdown, and some of our Camera Club's best wildlife pics during this time.
  • Two pages of business news.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • Plus, much more!

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