A CROQUET club in Basingstoke has called on the borough council to help with ambitions for another court as the game become so popular that it needs to expand.

In July Basingstoke Croquet Club submitted an application for a second court adjacent to the Thornycroft Bowls Club, in South Ham – where it currently plays – in Russell Howard Park, but it was rejected by council officers.

At a full council meeting on Thursday, December 15, the club urged for discussions to be opened up to find a way forward.

Club secretary Dr Ian Harrison said: “We believe that we can find a way forward if the council would be willing to work with us and to look again at the planning application and work out something as a forward plan.”

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In 2015 the club moved from a court in Down Grange when it needed to expand and was given support from the council to do so.

Cabinet member for partnerships Cllr Jenny Vaux responded, saying: “I am very pleased to hear that the Basingstoke Croquet Club has seen a growing interest in croquet following the move from Down Grange to the Thornycroft Bowling Club, where the bowling lawn doubles up as a croquet court. The aspiration to continue to encourage further growth of croquet players in the borough is very welcome.

“For context, the Howard Park and Thornycroft bowling clubs are adjacent to each other in Russell Howard Park, unfortunately, the Howard Park Bowling Club does not currently have the capacity to share their lawn to accommodate a croquet court.”

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She continued: “This year the Basingstoke Croquet Club met with council officers on site to discuss a potential planning application to create a second croquet court adjacent to the current bowling lawns. Following consultation with the council's natural environment team officers made the club aware that an application for planning permission on that site was unlikely to be successful and why.

“Once a planning application has been refused it cannot be reconsidered other than through the formal appeal process, however, that should not be the end of the discussion about future facilities for croquet in the borough. The sports infrastructure team are keen to meet again with Dr Harrison and the club to explore other options.

“It is important to analyse the current usage and demand for croquet at Thornycroft to understand the drivers for another court and to explore in more detail the reality of the viability of having two courts.

“An outcome may be that croquet would be better supported located elsewhere in the borough rather than in South Ham where there is a shortage of publicly accessible green space.”