Horsham Forum - A Community Forum for Horsham and Southwater Residents and Businesses / Horsham Clubs and Groups / Holbrook Club - Neighbours Action Group (HolbrookNAG) / General Discussion

KEY DATE COUNTDOWN

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:39:15 GMT

DC/08/0734
Horsham Football Club Application
to develop a stadium at The Holbrook Club, North Heath Lane

INTERESTED, CONCERNED, GOT QUESTIONS?

KEY DATE COUNTDOWN

Monday May 19^th

6pm, Holbrook Club, North Heath Lane

First Public Meeting with Horsham Football Club about their proposals

Open to public

Friday June 13^th

7:00pm for 7:30 pm, North Heath Hall, North Heath Lane

North Horsham Parish Council Public Meeting

Meeting to discuss Horsham Football Club proposals for Holbrook

Monday June 16^th

Last date for comments (objections) to be lodged with Horsham District Council

If you are concerned by this proposal (either way)…

This is the date your written comments must be in by

Tuesday July 1^st

5.30pm, Horsham District Council, Park North, North Street, Horsham

North Horsham Planning Committee Meeting,

Open to public (only those previously agreed can speak)

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, YOU LIVE HERE, THIS IS YOUR COMMUNITY

Information for Holbrook Residents provided by Holbrook Neighbourhood Action Group

www.holbrookNAG.co.uk

Miss Information in the HNAG Leaflets

Charlie Drake Close — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:14:46 GMT

Is this development such a bad thing?

If I were to believe what I have read in the leaflet pushed through my door urging me to opose this developement, I would be locking up my womenfolk for fear of the onslaught of the wrath of 4000 HFC supporters about to descend on our quiet neighbourhood.

These marauding hun are here to pillage our environment, leaving piles of litter everywhere.

These drunken yobs will be fighting in the streets everynight, fans urinating in my garden, more cars than on the M25 in the rush hour, parking restrictions for residents, the list goes on and on.

That's before all the Rock Festivals start, with their 20 lorry loads of roadies and equipment.

Wow......Now let's all calm down for a minute and take a reality check.

This is Horsham not Wembley or Old Trafford.

I have a work colleague who has lived in Queensway for the nearly 40 years. His house backs on to the current ground. They play every other Saturday afternoon and every other Tuesday evening. During the few hours a week when games are played he say's that he hardly notices any noise, especially for the evening games, save for the occasional cheer when they score. Similar levels of noise come from the adjacent YMCA ground.

The rest of the time you could hear a pin drop.... if it wasn't for all the birds singing. The football club have been the perfect neighbours and he will be sad to see them leave.... and is dreading the 80 or so houses which are to be built in it's place.

He has never heard bad language, never seen or heard of anyone fighting and has certainly never caught anyone going to toilet in his garden (although he does have some very fine roses).

This is leafy Horsham, West Sussex.

The people that attend these matches and run the club are also no doubt from our town, attending the same schools, shops and churches as everyone else. Ok there are travelling supporters from other clubs, who may not be fully aware of our local custom of bladder retention when passing someone's garden, but hey ho, that can equally happen from someone attending one of the Rock Tribute bands that regularly play at the Holbrook club on Friday or Saturday nights or a reveller from a party or other function.

If you look on the Horsham club website it gives the crowd figures. They seem to have between 300 or 700 on a Saturday, with mid week attendances between 100 - 200. Nothing like the 4000 claimed. Yes they did have over 3000 at the Swansea Sky game and yes I did sit in the Holbrook Club cheering them on. But I wasn't the only one and this is the only time I have ever heard mention of Horsham on the TV, so we can count this crowd as an exception to the rule rather than the norm. Certainly on par with the Bonfire night firework displays at the Holbrook Club.

Think of how many people currently attend the football tournaments and model train shows at the Holbrook club and the resulting parking nightmares that go with it. The plans show an additional 100 or so parking spaces are planned.
That has to be a good thing doesn't it?
Why didn't the Holbrook club think of doing that years ago?

I presume that the image on the cover of the leaflet is meant to be the Horsham mascot? My daughter met Howard the Hornet in the park last month, when he was running the Sport Relief race for charity. He bears no resemblance to the mean aggressive looking wasp on the cover of the leaflet and seems quite a pleasant chap and is great with the kids. He is always in the county times doing something or other for charity or to promote the club.

Looking at the plans, I see it more as an extension of the Holbrook facilities. No worse than if the Holbrook Club were to develop the existing facilities for their own use, by putting in floodlighting and a few seats for spectators. With current modern floodlight technology, the lights point downwards, are non intrusive and certainly do not resemble WW2 searchlights looking for the Luftwaffe.

I really believe that we will not even notice that the football club are there and would hope that they plan to be there for 100 years or so, meaning there is zero chance of 500 houses ever being built at the end of my garden in ten years time.

I for one support this plan

Charlie

HFC@THC?

Local Hornet — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:12:08 GMT

Before voting please look at the [url=http://publicaccess.horsham.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=JYLDQUIJ00K00]plans[/url] and note that this development is not what most people perceive as a 'stadium'. The actual building structure will be less than what is currently at Queen Street.

HDC CEO confirms HFC planning permission NOT a Done Deal

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:12:21 GMT

Tom Crowley, Chief Executive of Horsham District Council, in his reply dated 23rd April to an HNAG letter states

the folowing and will also issue this to the press:-

" I am very happy to put this on record again and say categorically that the Council had not given HFC the 'nod and the wink' that it would get planning permission if it went ahead and bought a new site.

We gave the club clear and unequivocal planning guidance and it was told what the planning issues were. It is perfectly proper and the normal course of action to give such guidance when it is requested. We pointed out what the issues were and what the club would need to address.

I would like to quash any rumours that suggest otherwise"

There is a Win-Win-Win scenario to HFC and Holbrook, let’s find it!

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:28:08 GMT

The Editor

West Sussex County Times

14-16 Market Square

Horsham

RH12 1HD

22/4/2008

Subject: There is a Win-Win-Win scenario to HFC and Holbrook, let’s find it!

Dear Sir,

At the latest North Horsham Parish Council Holbrook Community meeting held in the small but very packed back room of North Heath Hall, the idea that there is a Win-Win-Win scenario to the HFC and Holbrook dilemma was floated and received quite a warm reception – most surprising, given that the gathering was not shall we say of HFC supporters or their Planning Application.

There should be no doubt that the residents of Holbrook with the help of the newly formed Holbrook Neighbourhood Action Group (HNAG) will oppose this application, we hope for hundreds of objections “on proper planning grounds”. Opposing this football stadium application only on the grounds that it is in Holbrook would simply see HNAG labelled NIMBY’s, however unsuitable HNAG feel the site on which The Holbrook Club operates (under lease) to be. So there needs to be another way of approaching this problem, Holbrook Neighbourhood Action Group believe that HFC need Horsham’s collective help, to find a location for a stadium worthy of their talents and their aspirations (and that location is not in Holbrook).

What do HNAG mean by Win-Win-Win?

We, the residents of Holbrook need an outcome whereby : WIN (1) HFC get their stadium in the correct situ of the edge of the town (not Holbrook) WIN (2) Holbrook residents have this potential blight removed and peace and quiet is restored and WIN(3) The Holbrook Club are permitted security of tenure for a minimum of 21- 25 years (if not allowed to purchase the freehold of the site), they are permitted to survive and thrive and the important community asset/service that The Holbrook Club provide be allowed to continue.

To achieve this there needs to be dialogue between all parties HFC, HDC, NHPC, THC and Holbrook Community Action Group (for Holbrook Residents) this also could include our WSCC Councillor Peter Catchpole, we (HNAG) ask “Is there the will to see this happen?”

At last nights (21^st) meeting, there were representatives from all the above organisations except Horsham Football Club. Without wishing to antagonise HFC, the general feeling around the room was that they have through the whole process been illusive and non-communicative. But, others believed that their silence showed that they were really not “good neighbours” not just to Holbrook but to the whole of Horsham.

HNAG believe now is the time to test whether HFC “really want to be good neighbours to Horsham as a whole”. Even though HFC have “gambled” on the Holbrook Club site, they must know deep down that the site is unsuitable for their mid to longer term aspirations.

A site on the extremity of Horsham (and not in the middle of a dense residential area such as Holbrook) is the correct solution. As this would allow for the full range of required revenue earners (to provide that much needed extra income) and for club expansion, purchase of better (more expensive) players and promotion say to the Football Conference – this should be the aim.

So are HFC willing to enter into a dialogue that would have them exit from this application and the Holbrook Club site? Are HFC willing to show the residents of Holbrook and the population of Horsham District that they can be “good neighbours”?

Lest anyone think that we are brow-beating HFC, please believe us when we say that we are not. We wish them well for a future outside of Holbrook and in a location “worthy of the club, its efforts in this year’s F.A Cup and its long-term aspirations for promotion”. It is here that Horsham District Council and other statutory bodies will need to play their part and help HFC find ”that site”, and not go for the “quick and dirty fix” of invading a quiet residential area such as Holbrook with this football stadium and all that comes along with it.

That then is HNAG’s “challenge” to all parties and we look forward to their positive responses.

J G Rae (Jim)

Horsham Neighbourhood Action Group

(1) This is to be considered as an “Open-Letter to all Parties”

(2) This letter is to be uploaded as is on the web by HNAG at a later date.