ALTON Town Council looks set to make one of the most important decisions in its 32- year history next Wednesday when it considers whether or not to support a £5.25 million offer by Coors to relocate sporting facilities from its site in Anstey Road to town council- owned land. The brewing giant hopes to relocate the facilities so that it can develop its own sports ground for housing. However under planning policy, it must make alternative provision for the sporting facilities on the site, namely Alton Town Football Club and Alton Social Bowls Club. Having looked for alternative sites but without success, Coors turned to the town council as the owner of suitable potential land to rehouse the facilities. But while the pressure is on to assist the dispossessed clubs in finding alternative homes and to make the most of a windfall which would improve sporting facilities within the town, councillors have to balance this against the need and wishes of the wider community. Deputy town clerk Greg Burt told The Herald: "Councillors have always felt a duty to assist the clubs and at the same time make the most of a potentially inevitable situation, to the wider community's maximum benefit." Subject to public consultation, ATC provisionally agreed that the Alton Social Bowls Club should go to a site in Chawton Park Road, and that Alton Town Football Club (ATFC) could go on the Diggers area in Anstey Park. The deal was that Coors would compensate the loss of town council land by providing an Artificial Turf Pitch (ATP) adjacent to the ATFC site at Diggers. But while there has been little concern expressed over the use of the Chawton Park Road site for bowls, the loss of public open space at Diggers has attracted a growing swell of opposition. Following two public meetings, numerous questionnaires and surveys, the council now has to decide how to respond to Coors. It has been able to rule out some alternative locations, among them the front and centre of Anstey Park, the Ruby training pitch, the land below the existing football enclosure at Anstey Park, land near Alton Sports Centre, Windmill Hill and the lower part of Diggers field. And it has several options yet to explore including alternative layouts within Diggers to leave some open space near to the Manor estate and the possible siting of an ATP at Eggar's School as well as an offer by Alton United to use its football enclosure at Anstey Park in return for the provision of an alternative location more suitable for its 400- plus players. Discussions with private landowners have also taken place. The agenda for Wednesday's meeting includes the outline of a proposal to use a commuted sum from Coors to upgrade the Alton United FC ground to meet the Wessex League requirements, including floodlighting, to accommodate ATFC. Potential sites to accommodate up to four full size football pitches with club house have been identified to rehouse Alton United and ATC is said to be in early discussions with landowners. On Wednesday councillors will be asked to consider their response to the Coors request to agree to the release of land and to engage suitable professional advisers to assist in achieving its preferred solution. It will also be asked to agree to approach East Hampshire planners to formally advise Coors to provide improved tennis facilities in the town. ATC leader David Willoughby has described the proposal as not only the most contentious issue to come before the council in recent years but one which could provide the biggest opportunity to improve the sporting infrastructure in Alton since the sports xentre was opened in 1975. He said: "Firstly, we are very grateful to all the groups and hundreds of people who have let the council know their views; many of the comments and submissions have undoubtedly assisted the C=council in this process and I am confident that whatever decision my colleagues come to next week, they will have taken into account all the views expressed." As to the decision itself, Mr Willoughby spoke of the need to balance the views of a substantial number of residents who don't want to see Diggers developed, with those who wish to seize what they see as a "golden opportunity" for the town to improve its sporting facilities. In thanking officers for their work in analysing the responses and investigating alternative suggestions, Mr Willoughby said: "Some new possibilities have emerged in recent weeks, which could broadly satisfy all, but these are in the very early stages of investigation, have no guarantee of success and are fraught with potential pitfalls. There would be a tremendous workload placed upon our officers, even with professional advisers, and the financial balancing of such schemes is not yet known. Such a decision would indeed be courageous and the cautious might not consider it." He urged residents to attend Wednesday's meeting which will start at 6-15 pm at Alton Assembly Rooms. There will be a public session at the start of the meeting to allow residents to make any last minute comments.
