LETTER: Sequence of events that led to losing the Camrose

Firstly, we seem to be putting the cart before the horse in debating parking spaces and bungalows. The main point is that Camrose is first and foremost a football ground (albeit a derelict football ground) and that issue has still not been resolved.

The brief summary of the sequence of events that have enabled us to reach this sorry stage are as follows.

• Rafi Razzak (Basron) gets his planning application for the Old Common turned down by Basingstoke council.
• Mr Razzak purchases the Camrose from Camrose Estates in 2016.
• A planning application to build houses and a care home is submitted to Basingstoke council.
• Huge pressure from the residents and Basingstoke Gazette see this planning application by a margin of 100 per cent against (residents and councillors) turned down.
• Mr Razzak submits an appeal against the council decision.
• Basingstoke council respond by placing an ‘asset of community value’ status on the Camrose ground.
• The predictions are an easy win for the council and residents based on the 100 per cent margin of victory at the planning application.
• A behind closed doors preliminary meeting is held in January 2022 between 'Team Razzak' (solicitors, barristers, architects etc) and Basingstoke council.

• At the appeal inquiry in March 2022 the process is altered at the last minute to make it a visual appeal inquiry rather than debated at the council chambers.

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  Lord Camrose provided the town with a piece of land on Winchester Road which could be used as the home ground. (Image: Supplied)

• From the outset it soon becomes apparent the inquiry is a total shambles where the ‘process’ has not been followed. Missing documents plus covenants and failure to declare the verdict of a judge were apparent.
• No Basingstoke councillor or main council official went along to defend the town's ‘asset of community value’. The whole situation was a nonsense.
• Helped by our previous MP Maria Miller the issue was taken up to the Cabinet Office level and the then Levelling Up Minister. He stated he could not go any further as the planning inspector is a quango and out of the government's reach.
• A huge Issue here is the performance of the planning inspector Dominic Young. Firstly it is probably unwise to have a single planning inspector making a judgement on a complex case like this.
• Clearly the mere fact that all the Basingstoke councillors were supportive of the developer at the appeal inquiry by virtue of a 100 per cent no show surely they should not be allowed to make the call on the SNG planning application?
• Requests have been made to Basingstoke council to release the film of the shambolic appeal inquiry.
• Time for Basingstoke council to do the right thing and get the Camrose ground restored for the residents. The dispute was between Mr Razzak and council, and the residents helped the council defeat the planning applications. It is ludicrous that now the residents have lost the use of the football ground because our council and councillors switched sides.

David Graham

Mallard Close,

Kempshott

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