It’s been one of the longest saga’s running but this week
Margate Football Club will seek to move one step closer to beginning work on
their new community stadium. Nearly ten years have passed since the club began
the process to redevelop their Hartsdown Park home, and on Thursday the club
will host the council for a site visit as the Councils decision on the leases
edge nearer.
Nothing but delay after delay due to many factors has affected
the club both on and off the pitch; however, with a competitive squad and
decent manager in charge in Chris Kinnear only the stadium seems to be holding
the club back. At 2P.M on Thursday 22nd December 2011, Margate FC
will welcome the officials of the Thanet Council to Hartsdown Park and today
urged all supporters to attend to show their support for the project.
A decision was due to be heard last week although a change
in leadership at the Council meant the decision was delayed….again. The club
has been at its lowest point ever in recent years as the stadium saga
threatened to bring the club to its knees, however thanks to directors,
players, management and most of all supporters that refused this situation to
kill the club that they love, Margate FC are stood on the brink of what could
be the biggest boost possible.
Not only the football club need this, anyone that has been
to Margate in recent years will agree that empty shops, graffiti covered walls
and shops, no theme park and a dying town is in a much needed boost and this
decision could be the best thing to happen to the town in a long time.
I am in no doubt that the people of Margate want this and
fans of other clubs that have enjoyed a ‘jolly outing’ to Margate to watch
football want the stadium to be sorted and built. Many Christmases have passed
with no stadium being built, yet this week fans of Margate FC could receive one
of the best Christmas presents that they could have hoped for.
I urge anyone that supports/cares about Margate as a
football club and as a town attend the visit this Thursday to show their
support to this much needed project.
Ryan - This is not a matter of the town not supporting the club, rather it surrounds whether local people wish to surrender their public open space, Hartsdown Park to the club for as long as 125 years.
ReplyDeleteViews on this are fiercely polarised and since the club applied for its new leases in August, there has been a proper consultation exercise with residents.
What the council now has to decide is whether to grant the leases as requested buy the club or offer a shorter lease in line with its existing asset disposal policy for the park.
If for what ever reason the leases are not agreed then Margate as a town will lose another part of its attraction (away fans). Surely the land being sought (not in use anyways) is minimal compared to the debarcle that is Westwood Cross which Im sure was given green lights regardless. If the club are refused the extention of leases then let the exodus begin - nothing to see at Margate but the beach and Turner Centre. pppffffffffff
ReplyDeleteFame at last for you Ryan 'The Flying Doctor' acknowledges your existance. However, he cannot spell 'by' correctly. Maybe he is used to 'buying' everything?
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan
ReplyDeleteHopefully the council will recognise the wants of fans who live too far away, or happen to be at work in the middle of the day on a thursday!
John Kirby
I think the Old Sea Dog means "Existence".. we all make small typos on weblog comments from time to time I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteIronically, Margate is bucking the national trend, given the recession and there are positive signs of regeneration, thanks to the presence of the Turner and the Old Town.
I'm sure that everyone here agrees that the football club represents an important part of the town's history and enjoys a considerable following. The crux of the matter remains the fact that it is a commercial entity which operates on public land / public open space and enjoys a short and renewable lease.
This has been an issue under discussion for over a year now with the club which insists that if it is to continue, then it requires a 125 year lease on the hotel area so it can release the value of the land as a development.
Council policy on Hartsdown is no new leases of or beyond 25 years and public consultation for any new leases because it is public land.
In simple terms, if the club owned the land then I could see no problem but essentially what Mr Piper and Mr Lever are proposing, is that the council take this piece of land owned by the public and pass it over much like a freehold investment, so that 'n' £millions can be leveraged against it.
Local opinion is highly polarised and while the council might be prepared to explore a lease of just under 25 years as a solution, the club have said this is firmly out of the question, it's 125 years or bust.
So that's the problem now facing a new cabinet when they go walkabout on Thursday.
125 years or bust, lets hope its BUST COYR
ReplyDeleteWhat gets right up my nose is why the hell do you want a 4000 seater stadium whem your average attendance is just over 350, totally laughable, shit club, no fans, shit club no fans.
ReplyDeleteI see both sides of the arguement. A long lease could, in the right hands, be more financially viable, but who can say whether local semi-professional or professional football will be viable in 20 years? Are the present directors looking at making money from the hotel rather than the success of MFC? Do we trust this lot or their replacements in future years. MFC has been managed badly by their trustees for years, that's why they are in their current predicament. The land was given to the public by the Hatfiels, I believe, and this too has been allowed to fall into disrepair by our local leaders, who now seem hell bent on selling off "our" assests...a bit like the Council house sales of the 80s.
ReplyDeleteI do support the develoment of the ground but what about the club being owned by the people? Think big. It's what happens in other parts of the world and makes the club accountable to all, whether current fans or not, as we will not be here in 125 years time!
Just to correct David. Nobody is "Hell-bent" on selling off assets, as this was my responsibility until last week.
ReplyDeleteRather, the last Government under Mr Brown, instructed councils that they had to sell assets to raise funds because money would not be forthcoming from Government.
Furthermore, an area like Thanet has large numbers of 'legacy' building from the Victorian boom times but can't afford to maintain them. As an example, half the island's annual council tax receipts would be required simply for the essential maintenance on historic buildings and that simply isn't viable in these difficult times.