‘IMMENSELY DISAPPOINTING TO SEE TWO YEARS OF HARD WORK VOTED DOWN’

Following the huge victory of booking their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Vase at the weekend, Canterbury City FC - who have looked at 26 potential sites for a new home - were dealt a crippling blow at the planning meeting. Football club chairman Tim Clark said: “It was immensely disappointing to see two years of hard work get voted down. It is hard to get sponsorship as it is and it’s going to be impossible now. “We have to get through to the end of the season in April but that’s a long way off. We’re taking stock our end and will have to see what we can do - ground-sharing with Faversham doesn’t come cheap. “I’m fed up with the hollow words from councillors about the great work the football club does, as they do not help us. “The council pocketed £14 million from the sale of Kingsmead Stadium and promised to help us find a new home, but they’ve taken the money and run. They should feel shame about the shabby way they have treated a local sports club.” But the city council says it is “committed” to helping the the football club. Spokesman Rob Davies said: “We are very supportive of the ambitions of both clubs, and have worked with the football club over many years to look at lots of potential sites, none of which have proved viable for a variety of reasons. We remain committed to supporting the club in their efforts to find a new home, but this cannot be at any planning cost. “The football club and rugby club grounds elements were on a small proportion of the total land area covered by the application, and we had a duty to consider the impact of the whole development. “The committee report made it clear there were community benefits to the scheme, but there was also significant residential and commercial development, which would cause significant harm to both the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and heritage assets.”