WAVERLEY council chiefs have been accused of riding roughshod over residents in pressing ahead with plans to relocate Farnham Town FC to Weydon Lane and develop the Memorial Ground in West Street for housing.

The borough council’s executive committee signed off £50,000 for a feasibility study into the move of the football club after officers ruled this was the “most likely, viable option” to bring the former Weydon Lane landfill site back into public use.

However, the leader of Waverley’s opposition Farnham Residents group, John Williamson criticised Waverley’s plans which he said fly in the face of the proposals originally put forward by the Friends of Brambleton Park community group.

Mr Williamson said: “I’m a bit disappointed with the detail in the plans and of course very sad to see yet again that the residents have been completely ignored.

“I’ve been sent a sizeable report by the Brambleton Park group who are very frustrated and unhappy with these proposals. The vast majority of residents I’ve spoken to also seem to oppose this in principle.

“The idea of spending some £50,000 of residents money on investigating a hugely expensive proposal that requires funding from building houses on the Memorial Ground completely contrary to its 1947 deed of gift raises numerous questions -for instance the plans for Brambleton Park don’t show the necessary pavilion or clubhouse, the changing rooms, the floodlights, all of which are quite significant.”

Mr Williamson added Waverley’s plans for the Memorial Ground also bring the council’s plans for the Memorial Hall and the Gostrey Centre back into question.

He continued: “Common sense would suggest that there appears no good reason now why you should build that horrendous looking and very expensive extension to the very attractive Memorial Hall, compromising both of them.

“In my view, in light of this proposal, it simply makes no sense to continue with the current Memorial Hall proposal.”

Responding, Waverley’s director of operations Damien Roberts said: “The Weydon Lane Special Interest Group (SIG) was focused on looking at options to bring the former landfill site back into public use, and more importantly to look at options that could be potentially financially viable because we know that the ‘do nothing’ option will still cost public resources in the short term and significant costs in the medium term.

“Having looked at all possible options, and including consulting closely with the representative of the Friends of Brambleton Park, representing the interests of many local residents, the SIG came to a conclusion that the most likely, viable option available was to look at the possible relocation of the Farnham Town FC.

“This proposal has no impact whatsoever on the Memorial Hall and the Memorial Hall is therefore not referenced in this report.

“The option on the table we need to test thoroughly in terms of its feasibility, which is why we’re asking the executive for funding to allow us to do that. Until that work is undertaken, we don’t yet have a firm proposal on the table, we are still very much at the investigation stage.”