THE former leader of the council and current councillor has said the “football club has failed to come up with a business plan” to secure a sustainable future anywhere “let alone at the Camrose”.

Last week permission was granted for 85 dwellings and a care home to be built on the Camrose football stadium site, after a government inspector approved the developer's appeals.

Basingstoke Town Football Club, which occupied the site before it was thrown out by its former owner Rafi Razzak and his company Basron, had been fighting for the borough council’s development control committee refusal decision to be upheld, but the inspector has sided with the developer.

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In an email sent to Camrose protesters seen by the Gazette, Cllr Ken Rhatigan responded to their disappointment over the decision.

He said: “I admire your front, but no one in Basingstoke will write a Cheque for £15 million for a Football Club that has failed to come up with a Business Plan for a Sustainable future anywhere in the Borough let alone at the Camrose.”

When asked about his comments Cllr Rhatigan, added: “This is in regard to not just the football club but for all sports, in the borough, we need a better plan.

“I feel there is a lot that needs to be done for all sports.”

He said it is something that needs to be discussed during a full council meeting where every group can be represented.

“We need to come together in a way where everybody can have their say," he added.

He said the decision was not necessarily agreed by all but said that is “just democracy”.

The current club chair Jack Miller, added: “We submitted something we called a feasibility study, which provided detail on the vision of Basingstoke Town Football Club.”

He said the plan included many things such as how much facilities may cost and what the community needs.

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He added: “The Camrose was our number one site but we don’t have an exact cost of what the land would cost.

“We have done this all by ourselves and did all we can.”

He said the document had been seen by the council who came back and said, “it was brilliant”.

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