Questionnaire to City of York councillors
Dear Councillor
I write on behalf of a pressure group, the Friends of Bootham Crescent (FoBC) who are fighting to save the home and future of York's professional football club, York City.
Attached [below] you will find a questionnaire that we are sending to all Councillors and prospective candidates. We would appreciate it if you could take the time to read it and respond to the simple questions posed at the end. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.
Time of the essence in the fight to save both the Club and the ground, so we would be most grateful if you could return it to us at fobc@postmaster.co.uk as soon as possible.
Please note that all responses or indeed non-responses will be published on our website and in the Evening Press, so that residents of York who care about the future of the Club can accurately gauge the views of their own Councillors on this most urgent and serious of matters.
The Friends of Bootham Crescent oppose the proposed planning application submitted by Persimmon Homes to build 93 dwellings on the Bootham Crescent ground – the current home of York City FC. It is our view that Bootham Crescent should remain the home of professional football in the City of York, unless a superior alternative is made available. There are various reasons why the application must be turned down, and our full submission to the Planning Department can be seen athttp://www28.brinkster.com/fobc/
There is currently a financial crisis at York City FC, and administrators are attempting to find a new owner for the club. Because the club no longer owns the Bootham Crescent ground, it is a far less attractive prospect to any investor, and if no buyer is forthcoming, York City FC in its present form will be liquidated, and cease to exist. If this is the case, we understand that moves will be made to form a new professional football club for the City of York, which would play non-league football. FoBC feels that if this club has to be formed, then it should play matches at Bootham Crescent – the home of professional football in York for 70 years.
If the existing club is taken over and survives, there has been increasing speculation that it may be forced to move to the Huntington Stadium (formerly known as the Ryedale Stadium), with the suggestion that the owners of Bootham Crescent (BCH plc) may provide a certain amount of funding for improvements to bring that location up to football league standard. FoBC believes that this is an untenable position for a number of reasons, and that BCH, along with Persimmon Homes, are attempting to engineer a situation where the planning permission on Bootham Crescent is granted, thereby giving them a colossal profit on what has always been a COMMUNITY facility. There are many reasons why York City must NOT be moved to Huntington, including appalling traffic congestion and poor facilities; however, perhaps most importantly, the precedent shown by the re-location of York Wasps Rugby League team to the same stadium has shown that the poor atmosphere and dreadful access will almost certainly reduce crowds significantly, and lead to the slow but inevitable demise of York City FC.
FoBC also wishes to remind all members of the CoYC that the draft local plan for the City of York prohibits the change of use of a leisure facility, unless a suitable alternative of an equivalent standard is provided. Huntington Stadium, even if significantly redeveloped, does not represent an equivalent standard.
We believe that at present the CoYC is split on the best course of action to take concerning the whole issue. FoBC is however quite clear:-
- The current planing application to build housing on Bootham Crescent MUST be turned down.
- CoYC must use its powers of Compulsory purchase, to take ownership of the Bootham Crescent site, for the benefit of the residents of York, and to allow professional football to remain at Bootham Crescent.
- Do you support professional football staying at the Bootham Crescent ground?
- Do you think planning permission should be granted for a change of use to housing for Bootham Crescent?
- Do think that York City FC are likely to be successful at the Huntington Stadium?
- If York City FC moves from Bootham Crescent should the ground still be designated as a sports facility?
- Would you support the City of York Council in the compulsory purchase of the Bootham Crescent ground?
The value of the site has been discussed as being in the region of £3-4m, however, this would ONLY be the case with planning permission. Without that permission, we submit that the value is around £200,000 and we feel this should be the amount CoYC should propose to pay under the CPO.
A precedent for this move has already occurred in Exeter, where the local council purchased the St James’ Park home of Exeter City FC from a house building company under a CPO, and now leases the site to the club on a long-term arrangement.
The voters of York have a right to know whether the individuals whom they elect to the Council will fight to keep professional football alive in the City. FoBC is therefore writing to every current councillor, and prospective candidate (as they become known) to ask their views on this matter. We will publish the results on our website, as well as via the Yorkshire Evening Press, including any abstentions.
We would therefore be extremely grateful if you would please answer the following questions at your earliest convenient opportunity. Please answer each with YES or NO, and add any comments you wish to make as well.
Do you have any further comment? :-
With grateful thanks for your attention and co-operation
The Friends of Bootham Crescent