A SENIOR councillor has said that it is important that all parties come together to produce a plan to secure the future of football in Basingstoke.

As previously reported the chairman of Basingstoke Town FC Jack Miller has said the club will not fight the decision for 85 dwellings and a care home to be built on the Camrose football stadium site.

Basingstoke Town Football Club, which occupied the site before it was thrown out by its former owner Rafi Razzak and his company Basron, had been fighting for the borough council’s development control committee refusal decision to be upheld, but the inspector has since sided with the developer.

SEE MORE: Basingstoke Town FC will not fight decision to build flats and care home on Camrose ground

He said the football club had been led to believe the decision “would not be overturned” even if they did take it to the High Court.

Reacting to the news, the leader of the Basingstoke and Deane Independent Group, Cllr Paul Harvey said that the future of football in Basingstoke needs to be secured.

He said: “I understand the implications and why the club has made that decision. We have now been left with huge questions for the developer and the council to come together and secure football in the town.

“I think the council needs to once and for all take responsibility. They need to take responsibility and come up with a plan for football in Basingstoke and Deane.

“As a councillor I won’t stop fighting, and we are determined to get a football community to come back to Basingstoke.”

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He said it is vital that the council provide an answer as to what they are going to do with the portion of land that they own.

During a full council meeting held last week the leader of the council, Cllr Simon Bound promised to provide a written response to answer the question, which he said will “be made public”.

Cllr Harvey said it is important that the answer is made public because there is “a huge stake in what happens to that land going forward.”

Mr Miller said he hopes to meet with the council to discuss plans in the coming weeks.

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