Future of hockey in Stafford 'at risk'
More than 1,000 people are backing a campaign calling on Stafford community leaders to support plans for a new artificial hockey pitch for a Stafford club, it says will secure its future.
The borough council refused plans for the pitch at Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club.
The club, which is 157 years old, originally applied for planning permission to have the much-needed artificial hockey pitch installed on the land they own at Riverway in October 2014.
But since then, not only have their plans been declined but with the pitch they currently train on in Beaconside being bought out by Chinese investors – the club could be left with no pitches.
A petition, called Support Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club's hockey pitch plans, is now calling on councillors to back moves for a new hockey pitch at Riverway, despite the refusal decision. Club secretary, Guy Seaton, said he is concerned about the future of the club.
"For many moons the club has wanted to be on site, so for the last three or four years we've been aiming to get that in place," he said.
"We put a planning application in October 2014 in for an artificial pitch at Riverway. To squeeze it on there would mean having the main cricket pitch where it is and the other being smaller. But this is not an issue because the standard played on that second pitch is adequate even though its small.
"Immediately they made it clear in late 2014 that they didn't want to go ahead with it. We've not asked for any money off anyone, we just need the planning permission to save our club."
"There are two reasons it has been rejected. This is because the main two consultations Stafford Borough Council Leisure and Sport England are saying the application is premature.
"From being not very happy because we've had our planning application turned down; it has suddenly got deadly serious."
This refusal has come on the back of the news that, following the sale of the Beaconside campus, the artificial pitch located there will cease to be available from June 2017.
Stafford and Hockey Cricket Club will take the petition to an open council meeting on February 23. The petition is at www.change.org and search 'Support Stafford Hockey'.
