Woking find out council’s decision on new stadium

Woking find out their local council’s decision on whether they are able to be given the green light to build their new stadium.

Proposals for the the club’s new Community Stadium have recently gone on show following a public consultation being held at the club before the coronavirus pandemic.

The plans consist of a 9,000 seater capacity stadium but also includes a new neighbourhood – called Cardinal Court – with more than a thousand houses.

468 would have been affordable homes – in a mix of studios, apartments and townhouses split across five residential blocks – along with the relocation of a leisure centre, a new Health and Racquet Club, a new medical centre, accommodating up to 14,400 patients, parking for 915 cars

However, they suffered a disappointing setback after the plans were overwhelmingly rejected at a council meeting.

At a planning committee, the proposal to expand the non league club’s existing stadium and build 1,048 new homes was refused.

The application had been recommended for approval before Tuesday’s planning meeting, but after spending two-and-a-half hours debating the plans, they were overwhelmingly rejected. Eight councillors voted against and one abstained.

Katie Bowes, a member of South Woking Action Group, voice her concerns over the height, bulk and mass, and community value of the development.

She said: “This proposal does not secure the club’s future. What it will do is to permanently change appearance and character of our community of 7,000 residents.”

Other councillors urged the committee to refuse the application whilst one described the development as “overbearing”, and another said it did not “conform to national and local planning policies”.

Woking FC chairwoman Rosemary Johnson said it is “very disappointing” that the council missed a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to build the new stadium and provide “huge provision” of affordable housing.

In a statement, she stated: “Our purpose has always been to provide a base for our football club to excel and, in so doing, to safeguard and grow our expansive work with the young and most vulnerable in Woking. This would have done that for generations to come.”

Supporting the proposals, resident and club chaplain Ian Nicholson explained on Tuesday that the club is the “second biggest and most diverse contributor to community life in our town” and the “drive for renewed facilities” has been ongoing for 30 years.

Within her statement, she thanked the fans who “worked tirelessly to get the development over the line” since April 2018.

“I am so proud of our football community and their support for our club. All I can offer is my heartfelt thanks to all those who have put so much work in and I am so sorry that I have not achieved the outcome we had all hoped for.”

Twitter users reacted after Woking find out the council’s decision on the new stadium…

A £250 million loan from the council is ridiculous with the state of the economy at the moment.

— Lindsay Hopper (@LRHop51) June 23, 2020

Very disappointed in the Council, roll on ballot box. Disappointed that the view of one neighbourhood has denied the entire town a better future

— Sutton Green Cards (@ChrisCa35152584) June 24, 2020

Personal Chairman had its own personal interest on this development. It was more about development rather than Football Club!

— SpaceZ (@TuralHu68291976) June 23, 2020

Quite unbelievable she’s taken this tone. Like a used car salesmen having a go at a customer for not buying a lemon.

We learned in the meeting that 53% of the apartments didn’t meet living standards…guess we know why the affordable housing provision rose eh?

— Scott Gazzard (@My_pow) June 25, 2020

What a wasted opportunity for the town and the club. This would have guaranteed the future for the Cards and provided desperately needed housing for the town. NIMBY attitudes win again

— Dominik Lipnicki (@dominikymd) June 24, 2020

Totally, would love it!

— Dominik Lipnicki (@dominikymd) June 24, 2020

Yes i’m off to their houses now with a pitch fork

— Jerome (@JBunions) June 24, 2020

It’s a simple planning matter, did not meet planning requirements. Nothing to do with WFC, the build does not get planning permission.

— Dave Doran (@RevDD) June 24, 2020

This would have made the football club go to bankruptcy! No doubt of it. We need better and reboot proposal where we can make a difference. Not sharing the grounds with the dance pool, medical centre with no proper capacity, rugby! Which has nothing to do with the WFC!

— SpaceZ (@TuralHu68291976) June 23, 2020

It is a great news! It was not about Football Club rather than making developer reacher and making poor designed building! It was not fit for purpose and had lots to loose!

— SpaceZ (@TuralHu68291976) June 23, 2020

Fabulous news! Brilliant speeches by all our councillors. Glad common sense prevailed. Not one councillor could justify the housing. All need now to come together to get the best outcome for WFC and the community.

— Jayne Bennett (@JayneCBee) June 23, 2020

Interesting to see the @wokingfc chairwoman state that you and your fellow ward councillors have failed to meet with the club despite invitations. One would have thought a local elected councillor would have had some interest in hearing both sides of such a key local issue

— Dan Donovan (@_DanDonovan) June 23, 2020

Good news. The traffic is already gridlocked around the area in the mornings and there’s no way of expanding the existing roads. Glad sense prevailed over financial greed

— Gary Streeter (@flyk6cr) June 24, 2020

I hope you will support the club going forward.

— JimmyA (@Razedabode12) June 23, 2020

Great news for the area, hope that the club will find another way to improve their facilities without the negative impact on locality

— TinaThomas (@haditaminuteago) June 24, 2020

There was actually a lot of support for the football club during the meeting, recognising *something* needed to change. But the housing development is simply too big for the area

— David Richardson (@DRichardson_NLP) June 23, 2020

A sad end to a long process to which many people gave their heart and soul. Hard to assess what impact Covid had, but you feel it probably didn’t make the case for any easier.

Regroup and reassess now ahead of the new season, which looks likely to start mid-Sept#coycards

— Rob Hemingway (@rob_hemingway) June 23, 2020