PLANS to demolish the Camrose football stadium and ‘all existing buildings’ have been lodged, weeks after the land's owner announced his intention to sell. 

Former owner of Basingstoke Town Football Club, Rafi Razzak and his company Basron have submitted an application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to knock down the stadium.

The stands, players tunnel, the clubhouse and all other infrastructure will be removed.

According to a notice put up at the stadium, alerting members of the public to the application, the demolition is proposed to start on April 15, 2024.

The application states: "The majority will be disposed off site to landfill or for recycling / steelwork etc - and some of the concrete terraced areas will be broken up and stored on site as hardcore base for the new road infrastructure." 

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In 2019 Basingstoke Town Football Club was kicked out of the ground by its former owner Mr Razzak and Basron.

In 2022, outline planning permission was granted for 85 dwellings and a 70-bedroom care home on the football stadium site after a government inspector approved Mr Razzak’s appeals.

Outline planning permission requires fewer details about the proposal to be submitted and is used to decide whether the scale and nature of a proposed development would be acceptable before submitting a full planning application.

On Tuesday, October 31, this year, Mr Razzak and Basron informed the borough council of its intention to sell the ground.

The ground was made an asset of community value in May last year following a First-Tier Tribunal, which at the time the club described as a “great opportunity” if the land was put up for sale.

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As a registered Asset of Community Value, the intention to sell the asset evokes a six-week interim moratorium period. This gives community interest groups an opportunity to confirm whether they wish to make a written request to be treated as a potential bidder. If no requests are received during this period, the owner is free to sell their asset at the end of the six weeks.

Following the announcement, a statement on the football club’s website said: “We have been advised further to note, however, that the owner is under no obligation to accept a bid from a community group.

“We have no further comment to make on this matter whilst stadium conversations are on-going between Basingstoke Town Community FC and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.”

The full application can be viewed on planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications by entering reference number 23/03025/DEM.