IT'S the biggest sporting challenge faced by the town in 25 years and last week the proposed relocation of Alton Town Football Club and Alton Social Bowling Club from the Coors ground made regional news headlines. Part of a much wider development plan for the north-eastern end of Alton and of a current cost-cutting exercise by Coors Brewers, the £5.25 million relocation package is viewed by the sports clubs concerned as a "once-in-a- lifetime opportunity" to achieve facilities beyond their wildest dreams. But for others it represents an unwelcome proposal to concrete over yet more highly- valued open space. It is a proposal that has aroused strong feelings on both sides of the divide. Following a public consultation meeting, held at Alton Assembly Rooms last week, and which was featured on BBC South Today, The Herald has received numerous complaints from disgruntled residents over the handling of the meeting, with some condemning it as a "done deal". Not in the true sense of the word, according to town clerk Steve Parkinson, who pointed out that while the choice is between accepting housing on Coors' Anstey Road site with replacement sports facilities or without, negotiations are still ongoing to get the best deal possible for the town. For Alton Town Council, it is a sensitive match to referee. As a key player in the game, it holds land which is vital to future sports relocation plans. But Coors holds the trump card. Mr Parkinson warned that Coors has made an offer which, if refused, could let it off the hook leaving Alton with more housing and no replacement facilities. The lease on the Coors sports ground has run its course and the multi-million pound brewing giant is now in a position to exercise its prerogative to dispose of its 2.2 hectare (5.5 acre) asset. Legally, it is said to be under no obligation to rehouse the sports clubs currently resident on its land, but if it is to acquire a change of use and subsequent planning permission as a windfall housing site, it will need to demonstrate that it can and has made provision to relocate its existing tenants. According to East Hampshire District Council principal planning officer Keith Oliver, government guidance states quite clearly that anyone wishing to redevelop a sports site is required to provide equivalent provision elsewhere. "They don't have to provide gold taps in the changing rooms, but they are required to provide similar facilities in a similar location," said Mr Oliver. In the case of Coors, the offer has come in the form of a £5.25 relocation package, using town council-owned land. Under the plans, drawn up by international firm RPS Design, the football club would move to Diggers Field at Anstey Park and the bowls club to a site between Rehab and the Westbrook Guides headquarters in Chawton Park Road. Both sports clubs have held private discussions with the brewery and have given their backing to the outline proposals. Alton Town Council has given its support, in principle, to the facilities being relocated on its land. Once built, the new facilities would be handed over to the town council to be leased back to the clubs, who would be responsible for management and maintenance. The ATP could be managed by the football club and is expected to be self-funding through usage. The proposal does not fully meet Alton Town Council's "wish list". According to council leader David Willoughby, in return for making land available it has insisted on the provision of high-quality facilities, to minimise any future maintenance costs. However, Coors has failed to come up with land to replace the open space lost in the relocation process. And the council is still working on providing improvements for Alton Tennis Club to compensate for the loss of courts on the Coors ground. Nonetheless, on the subject of open space, ATC accepts that it does own 170 acres of open space and that additional space is to be provided as part of the Chandos Lodge development at that end of town. Furthermore, it would welcome development, particularly of the under-used Diggers site, at no cost to the town. But it is not a view held by those who use Diggers for recreational and dog-walking purposes. Manor Road residents have expressed particular concern over the potential loss of public open space, citing fears over increased vandalism, safety for children playing near the road, noise and light pollution, especially from flood lights, cost of upkeep and a possible knock-on decrease in house prices. Mr Willoughby pointed out that as far as Diggers is concerned, it is part of a 44-acre park which will still provide plenty of open recreational land. And on the subject of safety, he says that the new road would be subject to a level of control with lockable barriers and speed deterrents. From a cost point of view, Mr Willoughby added that not only would the facilities be self-sufficient, with the clubs paying rent like other sporting tenants, but because Alton is to be subject to increased development over the next few years, any resulting rise in the level of precept would most likely be offset by an increase in the number of households paying council tax. Different concerns were raised by local residents living close to the Coors site. According to Eggars Square Association member Dr Tony Rice, while accepting the company's right to develop the land, many were alarmed by talk that the sports field would be regarded as a town centre site which could attract maximum-density housing (90 to the hectare) with very little on-site car parking. No so, according to Keith Oliver. He is of the opinion that the Coors site is well outside the town centre and that planners would expect to see a density of around 40 to the hectare maximum with car parking at 1.5 to 2 spaces per dwelling. "I would be amazed if any developer could satisfy Highway Authority requirements with a no -parking proposal," he said, adding that any development would need to take into account the character of surrounding properties. According to brewer representative Paul Heggarty, Coors intends to submit three planning applications in early June for each of the three sites mentioned. "The application for the Anstey Road site will be for residential housing with densities in line with government planning guidelines," he said. While Coors appears keen to get the ball rolling, Mr Willoughby has stressed that the town council will not be rushed into making a final decision and that councillors had not yet voted on the proposal. "This is the first stage in the public consultation process. We are not finished yet," he said. l The town clerk has sought to allay fears over holes which appeared this week at Diggers Field, explaining that they were trial boreholes sunk to determine the state of the subsoil prior to putting forward a comprehensive design. "As a result, it has been decided to change the design to include raft foundations," he said.
