Sports stand row persists (From Gazette Series)

Sports stand row persists

BERKELEY Town Council is no nearer to solving the problem of anti-social behaviour in the football stand at Canon Park.

At last week's meeting it emerged that the council, which owns the field, and Berkeley Town Football Club, which owns the stand, had still not reached agreement over the issue of youths gathering inside.

As a result one councillor said the council was disappointing the residents of Canon Park and Station Road with its inability to resolve the situation.

Cllr Paul Goddard said: "This problem has been going on for two years now and I think the residents are being let down."

Although the stand has become a hot spot for anti-social behaviour, it is still regularly used by football spectators on matchdays and the club has proposed that it be decorated rather than enclosed.

However, Cllr John Freeland thought that the club was simply sidetracking the main issue.

He said: "If the stand is not enclosed, then it will still allow for the problems of anti-social behaviour. Whether it is tarted up or not will make no difference."

At the meeting it was revealed that the club has written to the council saying it is too expensive to enclose the stand.

But council is unsatisfied with the explanation and is to ask the club to provide estimates for enclosure of the stand and details of the funds raised so far.

Chairman Cllr Ralph Pinnell also explained why the council was asking the club to do the work.

He said: "We can tell the football club what to do with the stand because it is on our land."

Last year a plan to enclose the stand with costs shared between the council, the club and Stroud District Council was considered but no agreement was reached.

The club also stated it could not follow the council's request to take out public liability insurance on the stand due to the cost of a new policy.

Instead it asked the council to add the stand to its insurance with the club paying the supplement but was told that was unlikely to happen.

Town clerk Debbie Burrow said: "In insurance claims the insurer will look for negligence and, if we are insuring a building that we aren't responsible for maintaining, then we will be negligent."

However, council did make it clear it wanted to work with the club to resolve the difficulties.