Blues make pitch for new home. Marlow Football Club bid for relocation

PASSIONS were high as a meeting about a proposed football ground in Little Marlow kicked off on Tuesday night. There was standing-room only as villagers packed into the meeting in the pavilion in Church Road. 
Marlow Football Club have been playing at The Alfred Davis Memorial Ground since 1924, but The Blues want to move to a 10-acre site in Little Marlow Gravel Pits.

Club director Ray Frith said they needed to relocate because the ground was compacted and the facilities at the Oak Tree site were small and out of date.
But residents feared the pitches would be built on contaminated ground.
Little Marlow Parish Council spokesman Barbara Wallis explained how, many years ago, 'Marlow took all their waste and put it in Little Marlow'.
Mr Frith said North-West Estates (NWE), which owns the gravel pits, has been taking samples for five years.
He said: "The general conclusion is that there is a medium-to-low risk. The medium risk is due to methane and there are plans to cap and drain the methane."

Representatives from North-West Estates (NWE) were unable to attend the meeting. They want to build about 80 homes, including 30 affordable houses, on the Alfred Davis Memorial Ground as part of the land swap.

Mr Frith said: "Our agreement with North-West Estates doesn't involve us in the policy, development or redevelopment of the (old) ground." He said the football ground would benefit villagers and the three new pitches -two grass and one synthetic - could be used for other sports.
He said: "We can't have modern or the size of facilities that we need. Despite what everybody seems to think we are not selling this purely to make money" Mr Frith added they would 'gladly' sell their old pitch and build the new one in Marlow if there was a suitable site there.

Residents told the meeting they were unhappy NWE was not present.
Villager Mike Walker said: "There is an awful lot of feeling in this room against this project."

Objections to the plans must be made to Wycombe District Council before the end of January and another public meeting was proposed.

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03/07/2007

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