Reader calls for a review of 'shambolic' Camrose inquiry

Time and again we are told that it is all a done deal between Basingstoke Council, SNG, the Football Club and Basron. There is nothing anyone else can do about it, they say!

Effectively, it is all stitched up, and no one should really be trying to object.

However, is that really the case? The Basron (Malcolm McPhail and Rafi Razzak) planning applications were initially turned down by Basingstoke Council.

After the most shambolic of appeal inquiries, the Basron appeal was upheld. Basingstoke Council should have taken the case to the High Court, but did not.

The derelict Camrose ground (Image: Simon Hill)

The link road through the Camrose ground was scrapped. Then initial development plans for houses and a care home plus allotments on the council portion of the Camrose fell by the wayside. Then Basron ran out of time to start the development (three years), and panic appears to have set in.

SNG came to the rescue and are reported to have purchased the Basron share of the Camrose. However, what is missing is any form of transparency of these transactions. No council debate, no evidence produced.

One thing that is certain is the ‘Asset of Community Value’ lease is still in place, and this comes in three forms:

1) Lord Camrose provided the Asset of Community Value in the form of a strong Covenant in 1948

2) Basingstoke Council secured it against Rafi Razzak in 2020, and as far as we are aware, it has not been surrendered

3) Judge Lorna Findlay reinforced the Basingstoke Council judgement in 2022. This judgement was available before the shambolic Appeal Inquiry but not discussed

So here we are seven years on, and all we have is a derelict football ground, which should be getting used by the Basingstoke Community.

One would have thought a sensible council would, with SNG, sort something out to get the Camrose flattened and restored as a Community stadium for the benefit of the Basingstoke community.

Surely we need the ground restored after such an outrageous injustice and get pleasant days returned.

David Graham

Mallard Close

Kempshott

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