an appeal for help

[Bald_Eagle]

here is a message posted by our chairman on our web site today

 

I understand that many of you will have been shocked to see the front page story in this morning's Beds on Sunday and may think they are stirring up trouble when in fact I asked them to run the story. The reason for this is that we have been desperately let down by the Borough Council and I now believe it is in the interest of the Club to raise the issue with a wider audience in the community.

 

To put this in context, it should be remembered that it has taken us 2 years of consultation and significant expenditure on professional fees (architects, highways experts, flood drainage consultants etc.) to reach a point where our proposed re-development is in an acceptable form to provide us with the capacity we require to meet Conference grading, with sufficient car parking to satisfy planning law and enough commercial content to fund the scheme and improve our income flow for future investment on the pitch. Whilst I was aware of some outstanding highways and flood drainage issues, I had asked for these to become subject to a conditional approval so that we could invest in further detailed analysis in the knowledge that the principle of the development and an increase in capacity to 4,000 was accepted.

 

On Thursday 26 September, I rang the Planning Department to make sure that our outline application was to be included on the agenda for the next Committee meeting on 14 October and to my horror, I was told that the planners were still unwilling to proceed on this basis and the application would not be included on the October agenda - they had not even bothered to let me know. Not surprisingly, I made it clear that this was totally unacceptable and after much discussion with various departments (including the Chief Executive's office) I was given an assurance that the application would go before Committee on 14 October with a recommendation for approval, subject to various technical conditions. This was confirmed in writing by the Planning Department on 30 September.

 

Naturally, I drafted my programme notes to inform everyone of the goods news and advised Beds on Sunday at our press conference on Wednesday evening. You will appreciate that after such a tortuous journey with the planners over the last 2 years, I wanted the public and above all, our supporters to hear the news as soon as possible. I was therefore devastated to receive another letter from the Borough Council on Friday morning (4 October) telling me that due to legal advice, our application had been pulled from the October agenda. In disgust, I made it clear to the Council that I was no longer prepared to stand by and watch the Club's future be jeopardised in this way and that they had to realise that without planning approval and Borough, County or Highways funding to deal with the road improvements they are saying are essential, we cannot get a Conference grading and would be condemned to playing our football in the Ryman Premier Division. Shaun Field (Chief Executive of the Borough Council) assured me that he would arrange a crisis meeting between him, me and the newly elected mayor immediately following the elections later this month to look at possible funding aid. Whilst I welcome this offer and will of course attend, I am of the view that we must now make this a political issue and the town must decide whether they want a successful Football Club or not.

 

It was too late for me to change the programme notes and I had no option but to inform Beds on Sunday that the Council had reneged on their written commitment to go to Committee on 14 October with a recommendation for approval. I therefore asked them to run it as a news story to raise as much public awareness as possible.

 

I regret that you had to find out this way but please understand my predicament. I would urge you to ring and write to your local councillor and MP to ask them to support our application and provide any funding necessary to improve the highways infrastructure around the New Eyrie to facilitate the increase in capacity. This would involve amongst other things putting in a roundabout at the junction with Meadow Lane, constructing a cycle path from the town centre and creating bus lay-bys and shelters. This could cost upward of £500,000 which clearly we cannot afford.

 

IT IS TIME FOR ACTION!

 

 

David Howell (Chairman)

 

 

as you can see the town of Bedford is once more in danger of losing its team. can I appeal that all supporters of the non league game spare five minutes of there time and email Patrick Hall at this email address hallp@parliament.uk or post a message of support on our web page to act as an online petition to help us persude the council to help, it would be very much appreciated.

 

 

Yours

Bald Eagle

[Badger]

Blimey, they know how to knacker non-league footie, don't they! Hope it's sorted swiftly.

[BOROMAN]

It seems yet another local council is unwilling to support it's local club. Having said that clubs just can't assume they are going to fold just because they can't reach the conference.

 

Bit similar to the Billericay and Basildon saga.

 

Anyway good luck, and don't let the buggers get you down.

[c'mon ricay]

i hope that our move dosent get iin2 this sort of mess but then again it is basildon council famed 4 mucking billericay around n da residnets of baso seem very opposed 2 such a move