Shrewsbury Town Football Club looks set to be given an extra year to provide the on/off community facilities at its multi-million pound New Meadow development.
The club has asked Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council for 12 months grace if the authority forces it to comply with an agreement to provide community pitches at the Oteley Road site.
Shrews officials, who want to scrap the proposed pitches, fear it will now be impossible to build them by next August’s deadline if the authority rules it cannot pull out of its planning deal.
They claim the council’s delay in making a decision – which is now not due until the new year – has put the development behind schedule.
The club, which will move to the new stadium for the start of next season, claims there is a lack of need for the community facilities in the Meole Brace area.
It has offered the borough council £350,000 to pay for pitches elsewhere in the town – a move which attracted criticism from residents living nearby the stadium who want them to stick to the original agreement.
Club chiefs are now asking for the deadline to be extend to January or February 2008, in case they are not allowed to pull out of the deal.
Keith Sayfritz, vice-chairman of Shrewsbury Town FC, said today: “The council have said they need to complete the study on recreational facilities and we feel that because they won’t make a decision on our original application to give them £350,000 until the study is completed that the time scale is of no benefit to the club.
“We have made a reasonable suggestion to defer the decision for 12 months once their study is known. If they say we do need the pitches, we will complete them in 12 months and if they do not, we will hand over the money we said we would.”
Council officers have recommended that the club is granted an extra 12 months from a ruling being made. The idea will be considered by councillors on Tuesday.
By Rebecca Lawrence and Steve Todd
Share this article:
What are these?