Sports hub plans flawed from the start

GIVEN that I have a lot of concerns on the subject of the former football pitch, I was asked if I would joining the webinar last week.

I didn’t – it’s a question of trust and truth.

Let me give some examples with

the so-called Sports Hub. On January 14, 2021 the council included a risk assessment on their projected Sports Hub. One identified risk was the opposition from the FA and RFU. In November 2021, Sport England wrote to WBC and in their letter confirmed that the FA and RFU objected to the new hub.

So even though it was a perceived risk, the opposition from the FA and RFU was omitted from the case-officer’s report.

On July 13 last year Sport England had a meeting with

WBC – in attendance were councillors Doherty, Mackinnon and Woollaston – and on July 21 a joint statement was issued for an enhanced replacement for Faraday Road with two stands. Hallelujah.

When Sport England received the notification from WBC, (they are a statutory consultee) it was not for an enhanced replacement,buts for a stand-alone hub with one stand. What people should be aware of is that the site drawing with one stand is dated July 5, 2021, eight days before the meeting.

The stand is on the north, the club house is on the west, another pitch on the east and on the south is the main pitch. It is almost impossible to see where the second stand was meant to be.

The myth of the joint statement continued until December, when it was referenced in the caseofficers report to the Western

Area Committee (the same report that omitted the opposition from the FA).

Later in the same month it was very quietly removed and the Sports Hub became a mitigation for Faraday Road – Newbury Today were referring to it on December 14.

For the Sports Hub to be a replacement both for Sport England, it has to be equal size and offer the same accessibility to the footballing community as it did before.

A sports hub that prioritises rugby over football was never going to meet the requirement set by Sport England.

It is a concept flawed from the outset.

Ian Hall

Ashampstead