News archive

Newbury Reporting’s article from 23/06/18 on Charlie Austin’s support for NCFG here

Reply from Richard Benyon MP to NCFG Chair Paul Morgan 17/07/18

Dear Paul

I have forwarded your e-mail to the CEO at West Berks Council. I will send you a copy of his reply when I receive it.

Yours sincerely

Richard

(The Rt Hon Richard Benyon – Member of Parliament for Newbury)

Reply from NCFG Chair Paul Morgan to Richard Benyon MP 09/07/18

Thank you for your response Richard.

As discussed at our meeting the key issue that we have is WBC are simply not entering into any meaningful dialogue with the football community of Newbury.

You say in your reply, which I appreciate is what you have been told by WBC, “The current plan is for WBC to manage the use of the ground and they are currently making the site suitable for local people to use”.

There is no evidence whatsoever that there is a need for what WBC propose and we have asked them to provide evidence of their decision making process – see the attached response that we sent to Newbury Weekly News. Two examples of our questions are:

• Please can you confirm who you consulted with respect to the proposed use as a multi-use games area with two five a side pitches marked up?

• Who in the Council proposed and agreed this new use for Faraday Road – did it go through any committee or any internal review? Please advise

Regrettably we are now firmly of the view that WBC have no intention whatsoever of honouring the site’s Asset of Community Value status and they will deliberately dumb down and run down this great facility to further their end goals, which as discussed has not had any public consultation nor has any associated outline planning applications. In short what they are doing is really bad for local health and well-being, local democracy and puts the local Conservative party in a really poor light.

Rest assured that NCFG will continue to challenge WBC at every step and if you can provide us with help and guidance with this quest it will be much appreciated.

Best regards

Paul Morgan – Chair of Newbury Community Football Group

Reply from Richard Benyon MP to NCFG Chair Paul Morgan following recent meeting 09/07/18

Dear Paul

Thank you for coming to see me with John Stewart.

I raised your concerns with the Chief Executive of WBC, Nick Carter, at my meting with him on Friday. I can confirm that the football ground will be available for community use within a few weeks. This will be a short to medium term arrangement dependant on the redevelopment of the London Road Industrial Estate. The current plan is for WBC to manage the use of the ground and they are currently making the site suitable for local people to use.

I know that you are looking for some long-term solution to provide the kind of ground a town like Newbury deserves. WBC will shortly be publishing its playing field strategy and it is very important that organisations like yours are contributing to the ideas this brings forward. I know that WBC want to build on the Newbury Town Plan and to tie in sporting facilities with policies on wellbeing, anti-obesity and community activity.

Please be assured of my continuing commitment to find a long-term solution for Newbury to be able to compete at the highest possible level in local and national leagues.

Yours sincerely

Richard

(The Rt Hon Richard Benyon – Member of Parliament for Newbury)

Inadequate pitches report from the BBC, worth a read here

News update 11/07/18

NCFG response to WBC press release

Read Newbury Today’s article here

News update 09/07/18

WBC reply to NCFG complaint letter

Dear Mr Morgan

Thank you for your email dated 21st June 2018.

With regard to bookings the position is that we are not taking bookings since the site is closed. As mentioned previously we will be setting out our plans for the temporary use of the site in September. As has been explained now for several years it is the Council’s intention to redevelop this site as part of the wider regeneration of the London Road Estate and I reflect further on that below. In terms of the questions you posed my response is set out below as per your numbering.

1. As landlord the Council wishes to determine the condition of the site before it is opened up for wider community use. This would be common practice following the expiry of a long term lease.

2. It would not have been feasible with the previous tenant and their equipment in place.

3. I do not agree. We need to determine the safety of the site for future use and that requires the site to be closed. We will explain the future of the site in September. Until then it will remain closed to public access.

4. We have not ignored the request but do not considerate appropriate. Council officers met with Duncan Crook and NCFG in April. I have already responded on this. As stated on several occasions the site is destined to be redeveloped. The Council needs to retain flexibility as to its operation up until then and has therefore chosen to manage the facility itself. We also want to ensure community use is maximised. Given the future redevelopment of the site there is little merit in considering long term investment as a football venue.

5. The previous tenant has removed its own equipment. It is too early to comment on whether any of its needs replacing.

6. The Council has made it clear over several years that the facility would close and we have spoken with the previous tenant on numerous occasions explaining that they needed to find a new venue. Plans outlining the regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate were set out at the Newbury Vision Conference in 2014 and the matter was again raised in 2015 at the same conference when you were in attendance. There were ‘letter drops’ to residents of the Estate in 2014 and January 2015 in which our plans were clarified. In a meeting with the Football Club in 2015 the then Leader Councillor Roger Croft stated ‘if the club has not actively addressed the situation (the need to relocate) in a realistic way, closure of the club in August 2018 is a realistic possibility’. He went on to urge the Club to consider a ground share option.

7. The plan for the site has been made clear for many years and we made it clear in 2015 to the current tenant that their lease would expire in June 2018. There is a period of time now where the site needs to be managed prior to it being redeveloped and it is our intention to ensure that maximum community use is made of it.

I am not convinced that there is a need to meet to discuss further your concerns. We have had several meetings in the past at which our plans have been made clear. It is understood that you would like to see the site retained as a football ground. That is not our plan. If we are to meet then it would be helpful to know specifically what you wish to discuss. We are not yet in a position to explain exactly how the site will be used from September this year. We will inform the community of our intentions later in the summer.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Carter

News update 29/06/18

NCFG meets with Sport England & FA and later with local MP Richard Benyon for campaign status update.

News update 27/06/18

WBC turn down NCFG request to hold public consultation at Faraday Road regarding NCFG’s artificial pitch planning application.

And read Newbury FC’s captain’s comments on the Breeze website here

News update 22/06/18

NCFG’s response to WBC’s complaint reply

Dear Mr Carter

Thank you for your reply.

I am surprised that you have responded to this email as one of my main reasons for sending it to Richard Turner was to establish which department in WBC will be responsible for bookings after 24th June 2018.

As stated in my email, Richard made a statement, when we met in April 2018, that it would be his department who would, in all likelihood, be responsible for the pitch and other facilities (i.e. club house, changing rooms etc.) at Faraday Road moving forward. Your email does not address or clarify this position. I’m sure that booking requests will not come via your office – as such please can you be kind enough to provide clarity as requested.

You may recall that Lee McDougall sent you an email in October 2017 asking you directly to provide clarity on how bookings will be made at Faraday Road after 24th June 2018. I know that Lee has sent you a number of reminder emails since October asking you to provide a response and still almost 8 months later we still do not have clarity.

You say in your response that you intend to “carry out a detailed inspection of the premises and then publish our plans for the future use of the site in September”. This statement itself raises a number of questions, listed below, which I hope and trust that you will provide a response to:

1) It is difficult to understand why you will need up to 3 months to inspect a facility that has been used every week for 10 years and by doing so has met all the FA and H&S requirements. Please can you clarify what the detailed inspection will entail?

2) If you have always intended to undertake a detailed inspection why have you not done this before now?

3) The inspections and other activities mentioned by you do not require the facility to be closed. Please can you confirm that access can and will be provided by WBC from 1st July 2018 onwards.

4) WBC had been on notice but ignored that the football community is willing and able to maintain the facility whist the Council undertakes its surveys and develops its plans. Please can you review this offer of help and agree to the meeting request at the end of this letter.

5) The Council’s current course of action have caused essential equipment to be removed from the Faraday Road site that will need replacing, presumably at public cost. Surely this could and should have been avoided if WBC had been open to working in conjunction with NCFG?

6)This lack of clarity with respect to overall availability (what will be available and when) and how the facility can be booked and maintained has m eant that a number of teams who would have named Faraday Road as its home ground have not been able to due to league submission requirements. We also know of other teams who may need to able to list Faraday Road as a home venue but need the availability and clarification of the facilities that will be provided confirmed in the next 4 weeks. Again, please refer to the meeting request at the end of this letter.

7) The Council has had over three years to put in place a plan for this facility. Up to now WBC has not engaged in any consultation with existing or potential new users. Please can you confirm that the very community that uses what the Council now acknowledges is a community facility will be consulted well in advance of WBC publishing “our plans for the future use of the site in September”

The Faraday Road pitch and stadium is by far the best football facility in the area and it is everyone’s interest to ensure that the standards and facilities are not diminished. Our concern is that over the next few months, due to inactivity and lack of any ongoing maintenance the facility will not receive the attention required that will allow first class football and social events to take place from August when the season starts.

On a positive note I am very encouraged that you say “We are seeking to maximise community use of the facility until it is required for redevelopment” On this positive note can we please arrange a face to face meeting over the next 2 weeks to discuss our concerns and to help you to ensure that your plans for the future use of the site has the support and input of the footballing community of Newbury. As previously stated NCFG are willing and able to help in a number of ways, including keeping the ground and grass in a playable condition over the next few months.

I will call before the end of this week with a view to looking at possible slots over the next 10 days for a face to face meeting with you and your team.

Best regards

Paul Morgan (on behalf of NCFG)