Walsall Council slammed as Darlaston Town FC ground is 'left to rot'
A former football ground is being left to rot by the council, it has been claimed, with demands for it to be kicked back into life.
Walsall Council’s ‘lack of action’ over what was once the Darlaston Town Football Club ground has been branded a disgrace.
A councillor has said the situation is a ‘shambles’ as the future of the site remains unresolved four years after the football team moved out.
The ground in Waverley Road, has been bordered up since 2013 when the club folded and the council took over the site. But the land remains derelict.
Councillor Doug James, who represents Darlaston, has vowed to call a public meeting to get to the bottom of the situation. He has accused the council of leaving the site to ruin rather than helping interested parties to take it over.
He said: “There are three groups interested in taking over the site – a local football club, Darlaston ATC and a youth group – but Walsall Council does not seem interested.
“We have got a ridiculous situation where the site is completely derelict and left to ruin but Walsall Council is still cutting the grass.
“It is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money,” he added. “We have young people who are coming up to a six-week holiday soon and we have got this fabulous green area that they can’t use because it is being left to rot. It is an absolute shambles, a disgrace.
"I have spoken to local residents about this and basically if we do not start getting some meaningful answers from the council then I will call a public meeting after the general election. We will start putting some pressure on the council to get this sorted.”
In August last year it was reported by the Express & Star that the council was going to demolish the ground’s stands.
A council spokesman said it was still ‘proceeding with the demolition’ of stands and the local authority would then be ‘reviewing its options with regard to future uses for the site’.
Darlaston Town played at the ground from the late-1890s.
