Swifty Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 ...and the grant also protects the pitch / ground from development (e.g. Heathrow Airport) for at least 25 years. Excellent work, Beano. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith B Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Gareth (& others involved) - well done for obtaining a terrific benefit to the club and local community. I was a bit worried to see the term 'dangerous' attributed to the area concerned - hopefully it was an assessment of the surface rather than anything else (e.g pollution from the adjacent premises). What is the timeframe for the improvements, and will it include lighting? Is the 25 year protection a 'real deal'? Great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith B Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Forgot to say - you may wish to invite a local firm (Kingston Garden Services) to quote. A certain former member of the ATFC groundstaff would enjoy the opportunity to be part of the improvement team! Liam...somebody, I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mayor Of Simpleton Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Fantastic! Really pleased for everybody at Ashford Town. By happy coincidence, a striker who is at least Step 4 standard is looking for a club in South West/West London. If interested, send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Keith, it doesn't include lighting, just the pitch, but that's more than enough for now. The work to be done is extensive and should help revenue streams at the club in the long run as well. I hope Beano doesn't mind me saying this - he's looked into temporary / movable floodlight pylons, but these would apparently cost a reasonable four figure sum and that's probably outside the club's reach in the short term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 No, I don't mind at all, Eddie. There are several issues with the concept of installing permanent floodlights on the training pitches, even before the cost is taken into account. The major one is the electricity supply, which would need to be significantly upgraded before we could consider it. At present, we cannot run the stadium floodlights and the training lights simultaneously. Planning permission would also be a major stumbling block, given that the residents would have legitimate concerns about light pollution and other disturbances. Our ground's status as a Green Belt site is also an issue that makes obtaining such permissions tricky. Once the pitch works are completed, it would be desirable to obtain a set of portable lights as this would not only enhance the existing arrangements, but would also potentially allow the current layout to be reconfigured, which might mean we can get an extra small-sided pitch into the layout. Having mobile lighting would also mean training could take place on the other pitch from time to time. The portable lights are battery powered, so could be charged when not in use, but they're not cheap. It's not easy to get grant funding for them either and we have other, more pressing projects to attend to first. On a personal note, I'd like to thank everyone who came down to the club last night and I hope the eventual announcement wasn't too much of an anti-climax! To expand on Keith's questions: The pitch is potentially dangerous, because of the condition it is in. This funding will correct that. The timescales are as follows: 1) I am posting all the relevant paperwork back to Sport England today to confirm our acceptance. 2) Their surveyors will make an appointment with the club to look at the pitch and assess what needs to be done. Sport England will be managing the tendering process on the club's behalf. 3) We will then agree a timetable of activities with them, which will be designed to (hopefully) minimise any disruption to the club. I would like to have the work done by next summer, but until we have identified exactly what needs to happen and when, that might be subject to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith B Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I am sure that Sport England will have robust tendering arrangements, but let's hope a local firm gets to be appointed, to help the local economy at austere times. I hope they don't get advice from the DfT after the West Coast Mainline farce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Any insomniacs or early risers will have had the chance to hear the Chairman talking about the grant on BBC Radio 5 Live as the closing item of the Non-League Show. Anyone who, unlike me, has a more regular sleep pattern can download the podcast from iTunes or http://www.bbc.co.uk/nonleague. The podcast is longer than the 5 Live broadcast, so don't go straight to the end! The interview was heavily edited, so the full version will be in the next episode of Tank End Talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 That link again: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nonleague Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith B Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Looking forward to the podcast after an all-too-short piece on the Non League Show (Radio 5 live). I would love to see the show delve further into the pyramid than Conference level - real grass roots and a chance to promote clubs such as ours. In the meantime, well done Gareth and Dave B. By the way, in case I forgot to mention it(!) with regards to the pitch upgrade - I know a man who works for a local company who can deliver - on time, to the required standard, and on budget. Reminds me of the time I phoned the local pizza delivery shop and asked them do you deliver? They said they did, so I said I'll have a liver and bacon pizza. They said, we don't do liver and bacon pizzas, to which I said you just told me you do deliver. Oh well, it was funny at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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