LAND that belongs to the borough council is now included in plans to demolish the Camrose football stadium.

As previously reported, former owner of Basingstoke Town Football Club, Rafi Razzak and his company Basron have submitted another application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) to knock down the stadium including the stands, players' tunnel, the clubhouse and all other infrastructure. 

The latest application now includes part of the clubhouse which is on a portion of land owned by the borough council. 

The council owns the freehold of a 1.94-acre section of land at the Camrose site.

None of this land was included in two applications for the redevelopment of the site by Basron Developments Ltd that were approved on appeal by a planning inspector in 2022. 

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As the planning authority, the council has "received a further separate application to determine whether prior approval is required for the demolition of the Camrose stadium, in accordance with planning legislation".

The application covers the whole of the Camrose site.

A council spokesperson said: "Plans submitted as part of this application include the demolition of a clubhouse with a small section of this building sitting on land owned by the council.

"Like any other applicant, Basron Developments Ltd can make a prior approval application even though they do not own all of the site. However, the applicant would have to get the council’s permission to carry out any work.

"The council, as the landowner of part of the site, has not been approached by Basron Developments Ltd about its plans for demolition work."

This is Barson's second application to demolish the stadium because the council decided that 'prior approval' was needed after the first one was submitted in December last year.

The second application states: "Insufficient information in the form of a Construction Method Statement, Demolition Method Statement and a Risk Assessment has been submitted and as such the Local Planning Authority is unable to fully assess the method of demolition and restoration proposed.

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"As such it is considered that Prior Approval is required to allow this information to be submitted and fully assessed by the Local Planning Authority."

Basingstoke Town Football Club was kicked out of the Camrose ground in 2019 by its former owner Mr Razzak and Basron.

In 2022, outline planning permission was granted for 85 dwellings and a 70-bedroom care home on the football stadium site after a government inspector approved Mr Razzak’s appeals.

Outline planning permission requires fewer details about the proposal to be submitted and is used to decide whether the scale and nature of a proposed development would be acceptable before a full planning application is submitted. 

On Tuesday, October 31 last year Mr Razzak and Basron informed the borough council of its intention to sell the ground.

The ground was made an asset of community value in May last year following a First-Tier Tribunal, which at the time the club described as a “great opportunity” if the land was put up for sale.

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As a registered Asset of Community Value, when Bason announced its intention to sell the asset, a six-week interim moratorium period began, allowing community interest groups the opportunity to make a written request to be treated as a potential bidder. If no requests are received during this period, the owner is free to sell their asset at the end of the six weeks.

Following the announcement, a statement on the football club’s website said: “We have been advised further to note, however, that the owner is under no obligation to accept a bid from a community group.

“We have no further comment to make on this matter whilst stadium conversations are on-going between Basingstoke Town Community FC and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.”

At the time of writing on Wednesday, January 17, the application had one objection letter.

The full application can be viewed on planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications by entering the 24/00047/DEM reference number.