OFFICIALS from Badshot Lea Football Club held a 'drop in' session on Saturday, inviting locals from Sandy Hill to express their views on the proposed move to the former BMX track. The Hellenic League club need to find a new home for the start of the 2007/08 season, and following an extensive search across the region, club officials have identified the 20- hectare site as ideal for their needs. Many locals participated in the meeting, viewing the early stages of the proposed community development project. "We had a steady stream of residents coming through the door - it was a nice mixture of people. Several people expressed concerns, due to a resistance to change and the notoriety of the area, but we also had a hell of a lot of support," remarked Stuart Page, chairman of Badshot Lea FC. "The good thing is that we are getting the concerns out into the air, and before we put any kind of formal plan in, we have to understand what residents want." The drawing board currently features ideas which include a floodlit football ground and home for Badshot Lea FC, mini and full-size pitches, plus an all-weather surface where children and adults can play a range of organised and recreational sports. Other potential ideas feature a clubhouse, including a bar and eating facility, and a professionally managed community centre, which may house kindergartens, OAP events and youth clubs when the site is not used for football. But Mr Page is under no illusion as to the scale of project. "It won't happen overnight, and the likelihood is that we may have to do things in stages. It is ambitious and we'll get teething problems along the way, but the good thing is that we haven't made any sweeping statements, saying 'we need to build this and that', we have just said 'we need a home.'" "We're a well-managed non-league football club at the bottom of the pyramid, but we have ambitions to go higher. In order to do this we need changing rooms, a floodlit pitch and a stand. "We have more than 20 teams, and have been declared a 'community club', which is the highest level of accreditation from the Football Association, so we set the benchmark for other clubs in the area." Mr Page is keen to include as many people as he can in the ongoing discussion. "We have canvassed 1,000 residents - I have done a lot of door knocking - and we will send out a questionnaire to residents of Park View, Sandy Hill and Upper Hale. We will ask residents what their concerns are, getting locals to air their issues. "We are also negotiating with key stakeholders, so that we can get local residents, Surrey Police, councillors, members of the football club and any other interested and pro-active community people around the table. "After consultation with the highways and byways about traffic and noise, hopefully we will come up with a full-blown model. "The majority of people are in support of something. We have got to determine what that is," he said.
