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Abandoned football stadium sale moves closer

BBC A large grandstand with red and blue seats looking out on to a grass pitch.BBC
The Camrose had been home to Basingstoke Town FC for more than 70 years

The sale of a former non-league football stadium site, which developers hope to use for affordable housing, has moved a step closer.

The Camrose had been home to Basingstoke Town FC for more than 70 years but the club was forced to relocate after its former owner Rafi Razzak put the site up for sale in 2019.

Developers SNG purchased most of the site in December 2024 but a small section of the land is still owned by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The authority's cabinet approved the sale of the land at a meeting on Tuesday, with a final decision due to be made by the full council later this month.

Gavin James, the council's co-leader, said: "Doing everything we can to speed up the delivery of new affordable homes, especially homes for social rent, by working alongside our housing partners, continues to be one of our key focuses."

He said the "small section" of land that the authority owned provided "limited opportunities", making its sale to SNG the "best option available".

The Camrose has a large grandstand on the right and a smaller standing section on the left of the pitch.
The ground has been abandoned since 2019

SNG planned to build affordable homes on the site, subject to planning permission, the council said.

Basingstoke Town Community Football Club, which the club is now known as due to Mr Razzak's continued ownership of its original name, were evicted from the ground more than five years ago.

Since October 2020, the club has rented the Hampshire FA ground at Winklebury Football Complex in Basingstoke which it shares with other teams.

The Camrose has remained unused and abandoned since then.

Mr James said the council was "committed to supporting grassroots sports opportunities".

The authority has said the proceeds from the land sale would be used to invest in improvements to the town's football facilities.

"We are supportive of Basingstoke Town Community Football Club's ambitions for the future and will continue to work with the club to understand how we can support their aspirations for a sustainable future," he said.

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